Bada Imambada Lucknow

My tryst with Bada Imambada was a very strange one ,,and people caretakers at Bada Imambada mostly Shias who knew me because I documented Moharam in Lucknow thought I was totally crazy ,, I had got obsessed with the royal bats at the Bauli and spent hours shooting them.. the stink was unbearable of their droppings but they seemed to like me ,, and ..I shot the Bara Imambara and the Ag Ka Matam here on 6 th of Moharam.


Bara Imambara (Urdu: بڑا امامباڑا‎, Hindi: बड़ा इमामबाड़ा) is an imambara complex in Lucknow, India, built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Awadh, in 1784. It is also called the Asafi Imambara.

Bara means big, and an imambara is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bara Imambara is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow.

Building composition[edit]

The Asfi mosque, located near the Imambara
The complex also includes the large Asfi mosque, the bhul-bhulaiya (the labyrinth), and bowli, a step well with running water. Two imposing gateways lead to the main hall.

Relief measure[edit]
Construction of Bara Imambara was started in 1785, a year of a devastating famine, and one of Asaf-ud-Daula's objectives in embarking on this grandiose project was to provide employment for people in the region for almost a decade while the famine lasted. It is said that ordinary people used to work in the day building up the edifice, while noblemen and other elite worked at night to break down anything that was raised that day. It was a project that preceded a Keynesian like intervention for employment generation. Construction of the Imambara was completed in 1791. Estimated cost of building the Imambara ranges between half a million rupees to a million rupees. Even after completion, the Nawab used to spend between four and five hundred thousand rupees on its decoration annually.[1]

Architecture[edit]

The simple grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy inside the Bara Imambara; a watercolor by Seeta Ram, c. 1814–15

Rumi Darwaza, gateway to Husainabad Imambara in Lucknow in India, around 1860
The architecture of the complex reflects the maturation of ornamented Mughal design, namely the Badshahi Mosque - it is one of the last major projects not incorporating any European elements or the use of iron. The main imambara consists of a large vaulted central chamber containing the tomb of Asaf-ud-Daula. At 50 by 16 meters and over 15 meters tall, it has no beams supporting the ceiling and is one of the largest such arched constructions in the world. There are eight surrounding chambers built to different roof heights, permitting the space above these to be reconstructed as a three-dimensional labyrinth with passages interconnecting with each other through 489 identical doorways. This part of the building, and often the whole complex, may be referred to as the Bhulbhulaya. Known as a popular attraction, it is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land. Asaf-ud-Daula also erected the 18 meter (59 foot) high Rumi Darwaza, just outside. This portal, embellished with lavish decorations, was the Imambara's west facing entrance.[2]

The design of the Imambara was obtained through a competitive process. The winner was a Delhi architect Kifayatullah,[1] who also lies buried in the main hall of the Imambara. It is another unique aspect of the building that the sponsor and the architect lie buried beside each other.The roof of Imambara is made up from the rice husk which make this Imambara a unique building

Legend[edit]
There is also a blocked (tunnel) passageway which, according to legends, leads through a mile-long underground passage to a location near the Gomti river. Other passages are rumoured to lead to Faizabad (the former seat of power of the Nawabs), Allahabad and even to Delhi. They exist but have been sealed after a period of long disuse as well as fears over the disappearance of people who had reportedly gone missing, while exploring.

Lucknow Street Photography 2 BW 2014

Lucknow Street Photography ,,,BW 2014

Lucknow Street Photography ,,,BW 2014

Burmese Chicken-Coconut Soup (Ohn No Kyawswe)

I was invited for lunch at Pali ,, a friend I was meeting for the first time after being connected to him on Flickr for several years ,, he is Pune based and was at his sisters place ,

The lunch was Burmese fare as my hosts sister in law is from Burma and has taught the cook of this house all Burmes dishes ..

The soup filled me up but my host insisted I have another bowl served meticulously by their cook Najma ,,

She added the right ingredients , the right amount of Coconut gravy,.. it was delicious to say the least .

We chatted a lot and after after spending two hours I returned home via the Bandra Bazar.

Recipe from net

1/2 onion, chopped 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1/4 cup water 1 (16 ounce) package rice noodles 1 quart lukewarm water, or as needed to cover 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 inch cubes salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 3 cups chicken broth, divided 2 tablespoons chickpea flour 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 1/2 onions, halved and thinly sliced 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 2 teaspoons paprika 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 cup coconut milk For Garnish: 1 lemon, cut into wedges 4 green onions, sliced on the bias, green and white parts 2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 dash fish sauce, or to taste (optional) 1 cup crispy fried rice noodles (optional) 1 pinch curry powder, or to taste (optional) Add all ingredients to list

Place 1/2 chopped onion, ginger, garlic, and 1/4 cup water into a blender and puree until smooth. Soak rice noodles in a bowl of lukewarm water for about 30 minutes.
Season chicken thigh meat lightly with salt and black pepper in a bowl and set aside. In a separate small bowl, whisk 1 cup of chicken broth into the chickpea flour. Reserve remaining 2 cups chicken broth for a later step.
Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in chicken pieces and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add 1 1/2 sliced onions to the pan. Cook and stir until onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking and stirring until the onion is very tender and dark brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Stir in the turmeric, paprika, and cayenne pepper.
In a medium stockpot, combine cooked chicken and any juices that have accumulated, browned onions, onion and ginger puree, and remaining 2 cups of chicken broth. Carefully add chickpea flour and broth mixture, stirring quickly so that the flour doesn't clump.
Bring the pot to a boil; reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Stir in the coconut milk and cook just until heated through. Divide the soaked rice noodles among 5 large soup bowls. Ladle the soup over the rice noodles in the bowls and garnish each bowl with lemon wedges, green onions, hard-cooked eggs, cilantro, fish sauce, fried noodles, and curry powder.

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Painted Walls of Bandra Nagrana Lane

Thanks to the various wall artists some very famous celebrity in their own rights some faceless and some nameless have etched their inner angst emotions on the eponymous soul of Bandra .

And you need not be an artist to understand the introspective metaphor of their work..be it Anarkali Dada Phalke Rajesh Khanna Dev Anand all bought to life by a great connoisseur of Wall Art Ranjit Dahiya and I am not tagging him as this wall is not done by him ...but inspired by him ..he has inspired college kids to paint the walls at Bandra Hill Road ..

The walls that were once silent mute now talk voraciously and colloquially too ..Art is like Beauty in the eyes of the Beholder .

I am not an artist I paint with light I paint the silhouette of sordid silence but I have walked from Dadar till Mahim Mori road shooting the walls ..that are now a backdrop for the new migrants ..and what a contrast ..a painting incongruously holding the poor in its magical grasp .

I made my grandchildren both work with water colors ..to shoot Maya the graffiti artist from Switzerland who did the huge wall at Friends Society building.

A lot of people I spoke to don't like her work ..we Indians need vibrant bold colors bold themes I think but Marziya and Nerjis shot Maya at work holding to dear life on a power crane .

Bandra has been aptly poetized by Art on the wall that soothes the monotony of the human soul.

One day people will come to see Wall art ..and Bandra will be the first port of call ..and all this thanks to those great masters and pioneers of Bollywood Art Project .

So if you let your mind force it on a image on a wall you let open a dam of words ..surging across adding hope to a denuded script of Life .