subject: Lucknow - Chikankari, Nawabs And Kebabs [print this page] Lucknow, located at 27.95N 80.77E, is the capital city of modern day Uttar Pradesh. Known as the "The Constantinople of the East" earlier, the city effuses the culture of "Pehley Aap" (After You) the moment you step in it, a true City of Nawabs. With its glorious history and amazing arts, it tempts you to explore its jewels from the very first moment you hear about them We went there, to explore two its best finds Chikankari and Kebabs.
Chikankari
Inspired from Persian culture, Chikankari or Chikan literally means embroidery. It rose to prominence in the Mughal period under the patronage of Noor Jehan, emperor Jehangir's queen. Since then it has find many takers, from Madonna wearing it in the poster of "The Next Best Thing" to Aishwarya in several public events and now, Naomi Campbell in her recent visit to India and Kareena in the flick "Bodyguard". Fashion changes every three months but Chikankari never ever goes out of style.
The process used in making the "Take my breath away designs" can be summarized in the following steps:
Deciding the pattern design
Block printing the design on the fabric
Stitching the pattern
Washing the pattern so that no traces remain
And the classy Chikankari apparel is for all yours to wear!
The quality of the product depends on the type of stitching and the thickness of the threads used. As a thumb rule, the thinner the thread used for stitching, the better is the quality of the product.
Though the above steps do give an illusion of the whole process being easy, the reality is far from it. One Lucknow Chikan Kurti can take upto 6 months to complete and no two pieces are 100% identical. Add to this wastage of 20-25% during this entire process and you have a very complex process to handle.
But as they say, an elegant design Chikan Kurti is worth it!
KEBABS
Lucknow is famous for its kebabs, and the heaven for kebab lovers is "Tunde Ke Kebab" in old Lucknow.
Originally located in the Chowk, this century old Kebab shop has been a pilgrimage for food lovers across India. As legends have it, Haji Murad Ali created kebabs so soft and succulent, that you could bite them off with your lips, all for an aging Nawab who had lost his teeth and was unable to chew kebabs. A century has passed but the kebabs remain the same, with the recipe being passed on from one generation to another. A must visit for every foodie!
What more can you ask from a city that provides you chances for shopping authentic goodies and a dining experience to remember.
