The Nawabi LEGACY
A PEEK INTO KAKORI, A SMALL TOWN NEAR LUCKNOW
The city of Lucknow comes across like a Djinn now, coming out of folklores and history, awaiting your wishes to be fulfilled and surprise you. A den of Nawabs and kebabs and overwhelming warmth running through its veins, the liveliness doesn’t end in the city itself.
Kakori, a small town on the periphery of Lucknow in the mango belt of Malihabad— about 25 kilometers from the city—shares the same spirit. The Renaissance Group of Hotels took the guests of Renaissance Lucknow for a day trip to Kakori to experience the insightful history, heritage and local traditions of the town, mainly famous for the Kakori train robbery that happened in 1925, one of the significant events during India’s freedom movement. Home to some of the greatest poets like Mohsin Kakorvi and Ghulam Ahmed Alavi, Kakori remains a dwelling to all things beautiful like the old havelis and the fading art of Zardozi. To live up to the local flavour, the mango orchards are a must visit, famous for their Dasheri mangoes. The orchard was decorated with beautiful baithaks and the locals welcomed the guests with fresh aam pannas, roses and freshly cut mangoes. Few Zardozi karigars put their work on display along with Chikankari and Kamdani embroideries and narrated stories of how once the embroidery form was used to decorate the wardrobe of the royals in India. The guests were entertained by recitals of famous sayings about Lucknow and Kakori. A beautiful qawwali performance was organised by the local qawwals at the orchard. An ideal weekend getaway, Kakori still remains rooted and cultural and houses many narratives that are waiting to be discovered and lanes to be walked into.