Dayscotheque

"By the standards of Indian cities modern Kanpur has no history. It came into being mainly as a redoubt against the armies of Nawab of Awadh in late 1700s. When the British reached Cawnpore on the cross road of GT Road and Lucknow-Jhansi road, they realised its strategic importance. It became a district in 1803 and went on to become a major military cantonment only after 1857. "

"They brought textile and leather industry to the city. Govt. Harness and Saddler Factory and Cooper Allen & Co. were set up to supply leather stuff to the Army. They also established the Textile industry here. Elgin Mill and Muir Mill were to become internationally renowned and Cawnpore was to be known as the Manchester of India."

Who else but Galatea? She was holding forth as we drove on the Autobahn connecting Lucknow to Kanpur. It was early, the sky was overcast and I was driving with the windows down. Cool breeze, peppy Hindi music on FM and Gal's discourse. This Eighty kilometer stretch is probably the only dual-carriage road in all of eastern UP. But for an occasional pot-hole, a cow sauntering across the road and a tractor driving on the wrong side, the drive was a joy.

You enter Kanpur from a bridge across the Ganges at Jajmau. Its a smallish bridge today with sluggish, uncouth traffic meandering in both directions. When she read the blue reflective direction sign, Gal jumped, "Jajmau! This where British troops first defeated the Awadh Army." Its an average poor river-bridge, doesn't even remotely look military. We just drove over much of history and passed through the cantonment area to reach civil lines. I had come on work so went to my office while Gal went off on her history lesson.

Among all the urban cities of UP, I think Kanpur is the most modern. The average young people are hep and trendy. With my office team I went for lunch to a cool, circular restaurant called Little Chef near my office. Highly recommended for Indian cuisine. Great food and surprisingly efficient service. It also has a 15 room hotel on the premises. It was lunch hour and I was expecting to see a lot of Executives in the restaurant but was surprised to see the place full of groups of young guys and girls. Soon the group on the next table got up and went off. Their food was still on the table. On enquiring, I learnt that in the well of this circular restaurant was a Discotheque.

I called up Gal.

"You know, Kanpur has a disc?"
"Yeah, I know. There are three of them here." Shit. She always figured out stuff before me.

"And you know the funny part? This one I am at, is jam packed at lunch."

"That's because parents won't allow their girls to go out at night" she was giggling.

I wound up work and she picked me up at four. We were keen to buy sweets from the famous Banarasi Sweet Shop, Birhana Road. Its Bundi laddoo are really worth the trip. 'Thugoo ke Laddoo' made famous by the movie 'Bunty aur Babli' is also in Kanpur but this one is the real thing. We went past Heer Palace on Mall Road. Now a spanking new multiplex was once a single screen theatre which had set a record when Sholay was released in the 1970's.

"Cawnpore saw the most violent of all battles during the 1857. Sati Chaura, where over five hundred Britishers under General Wheeler were killed on the Ghats due to an edgy confusion. Later at Bibi-ghar, nearly three hundred women and children were massacred. They took this as an excuse for open-season. Later when Gen. Niell took back the city, he went on a rampage and murdered thousands".

As we drove past the marble marvel JK Temple, the real essence of Kanpur being a modern city became apparent. Its iconic landmarks too are so very modern. This Singhania built temple attracts not just devotees. Kanpur citizens flock to its fountains on summer evenings. We wound up our trip with a slow drive past my first ever school, St. Joseph's Convent, JK Colony.

We drove back in complete silence. Our experience was of happiness to see a thriving-against-odds community. We realised that this fighting spirit must come from a collective sub-conscious of a history of bloody battles.