GANJing.

Outside Royale Cafe

Come Lucknow and the first place people will suggest you is GANJ! Not that Lucknow has no malls, pubs or parks for that matter. It's just that there is that-something about Ganj that sets it out of the way, that makes every Lucknow-ite's heartthrob.

The name is 'Hazratganj' but people prefer calling it ganj (despite the fact that we have a Saharaganj and many other Ganj-es as well). "Lucknow toh GANJon ka sheher hai", a popular radio station says. But, THE Ganj of Ganj-es remains Hazratganj.

Believed to have existed for over a hundered years, Hazratganj is owned by a single man residing abroad. All revenues collected, are deposited to him. But before I rant more about Ganj, I shall feed your hunger as to what Ganj actually is:
Well, for outsiders, Ganj is a showroom of showrooms. All brands from Fastrack to UCB, from Sony to Converse, McD, CCD, Haunted House and then Chabra 555, Namaskar and continuing to what seems like an endless list; find a separate showroom here. Not that only the gilded and plush ones belong here, it has equal space and existence for the other half. Backing my words are 'Prince' (for guys) and 'Lovelane' (for girls) who can offer you every brand from UCB to Neon at 150 cheap price.

Yellow-n-Black. That's what Mayawati has gifted us. :)

All the buildings out here are yellow with their names written in black. Dressed up with simplicity, this place is jostled 24x7, with people of all sorts. With the nifty, peachy and most sought-after La' Marts and IT College a few kilometers away, guys always find a good reason to hang out here. You're bound to see White people every time you roam here, mostly dressed in 'Kurtas'. The evenings at Ganj are worth a million bucks. With Yellow buildings towering the mystic hazel sky from both sides of the road, nothing is better than sitting on a bench outside Royal Cafe (see the topmost image), watching the merry ardor crowd march, filled with enthusiasm & energy while enjoying your snack. The moment you enter Ganj, you feel a spontaneous flow of energy to liven you up irrespective of how bad your day went. The reason all the food joints are filled with teens in school uniforms at 3 every evening.

I might never know what is it in Ganj that allures, attracts, spell-bounds us. But I might never want to know as long as the Ganj remains our Ganj, MY Ganj!