A “culinary and cultural” journey from Lucknow to Kolkata was celebrated in Kolkata receltly.
The evening, titled “Shaam-e-Awadh”, was also a celebration of the legacy of Lucknow’s most famous import to Kolkata, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Awadh and a great patron of the arts.
One hundred and sixty-seven years ago, exiled from Lucknow by the British, Shah landed in a ghat in Metiabruz with an elaborate entourage. He was just 34. He spent the remaining 26 years of his life and is still buried in Metiabruz, a locality that came to be defined by him.
His arrival would change the character of the entire area. From a southwestern suburb, Metiabruz would be known as mini-Lucknow.
Food lore has it that biryani came to Kolkata with Wajid Ali Shah. But his contribution to the city is much beyond food. His patronage of music, dance, theatre, and literature has left an indelible mark in Kolkata.
On the evening of December 5, the Dalhousie Institute saw the unveiling of a special coin with a royal crest of Awadh. A short audio-visual clip on the nawab was shown to the audience.
“Besides being a patron of the arts, Wajid Ali Shah championed humanity and interfaith harmony. We want to revive that spirit and culture,” said Shaheryaar Ali Mirza, the great-great-grandson of the nawab, who heads the Reach Out Star Foundation, the organisers of the programme.
Mayor Firhad Hakim and member of the mayoral council, Debasish Kumar, joined Mirza and his octogenarian mother, Naseem Ara Begum, the great-granddaughter of Shah, in launching the special coin.
A book written by Reverend Brian Grey, a clergyman in the Diocese of Calcutta (Church of North India), was also launched at the programme.
The book is on the relationship between two siblings in an Anglo-Indian family. “
Shah was a proponent of inter-faith harmony. He was also a patron of the Anglo-Indian community,” said Grey.
A specially curated dinner made by a chef from Lucknow awaited the guests after the programme.