‘Lakhnawi’ is not someone who lives in Lucknow, but in whom Lucknow lives: Himanshu Bajpai

The new year brought along a surprise for Lucknow boy Himanshu Bajpai, with him being awarded the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar, for his book “Qissa Qissa Lakhnua”.

The book, Bajpai explains, is the story of the aam awaam of Lucknow, who are often sidelined when talking about their own city. Ask anyone what Lucknow is and they’ll immediately tell you it’s the city of Nawabs, of Wazirs, of Talukdars, of Begamats.

“But my book tells you the stories of vegetable sellers, of lovers, of cooks, of the rangrez aashiq,” smiles Bajpai. It’s his attempt to portray an image of Lucknow, of its tradition, legacy, culture and heritage, through the past and present of the common people.

Through his book, Bajpai wants to document the Lucknow he grew up in, where storytellers and performers were not the only artists. “People who could cross the narrow lanes without getting their clothes dirty after it rained were also considered artists,” he laughs. He feels the Lucknow where people would travel far and wide for the zayke wala khaana (without any food bloggers having to dance around the place, mind you) is slowly being lost today, along with the city’s value system.

A dastango (storyteller) by passion and profession, Bajpai feels Lucknow is an emotion, a cultural background to his life. But did he always feel this way? Bajpai recalls being inspired by Amritlal Nagar, and falling in love with the city through the work of author Yogesh Praveen.

“Yogesh ji made me realise how beautiful Lucknow is, and how beautiful it can be to write about Lucknow.” Bajpai feels so indebted to Praveen for inspiring him that he has dedicated his award to him. He proudly says, “The way Yogesh Praveen wrote about Lucknow, no one can do that. The way he made so many people fall in love with this city, no one can ever match it.”

What he strongly believes is that Lucknow is not a physical entity, it’s a spirit found in the people who love this city, who put others before them, pehle aap, who believe in the importance of an achi zubaan. For Bajpai, “A Lakhnawi is not someone who lives in Lucknow, a Lakhnawi is someone in whom Lucknow lives.”

But is it difficult to love and tell stories about a city when the polarisation between people living there is growing every day? Can he decide to not make politics a part of his art form? No. For Bajpai, his dastangoi and qissagoi are every bit political. Bajpai calmly smiles and explains, “In an atmosphere so full of polarisation, of communalism, of hate speeches, of fake news, of hateful Whatsapp forwards, of propaganda, performing stories of love and communal harmony is definitely a political act.”

Bajpai feels that inciting and highlighting the indigenous value system of Lucknow that gave birth to the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb is political. It’s a political statement that he’s performing in Hindi and Urdu, two languages that people pit against each other, and two languages that go arm in arm like the best of friends.

But it’s not only about making a statement, it’s also the need of the hour, feels Bajpai. He feels that people are not aware of the Lakhnawi legacy that they are a part of. He sighs, “Ye baatne wali baatein tucchi cheezein hai.” He takes pride in the Lucknow that was once witnessed the great friendship of Asaf-ud-Daulah and Raja Jhaulal. What he can only hope for is that people realise the value of empathy and tolerance, and throw out anyone who tries to divide them.

Interestingly, the same Bajpai who performs on stage every other day now and even made a cameo appearance in Netflix’s Sacred Games, used to shy away from dastangoi because of stage fright. He laughs, “It took a lot of insistence from my friend Ankit Chaddha for me to attempt this.” He recalls that Chaddha took him to Mahmood Farooqui (who is credited for reviving dastangoi) who then taught both of them the art form that Bajpai now considers sacred. (Bajpai has also dedicated his book to his friend.)

However, today Bajpai is thankful to have succumbed to his friend’s demands. He feels that he would have lost a part of his soul, had he not got the chance to express what he truly felt.

“As a journalist, I was writing about the stories of other people. I could never say what I wanted to say, how much I wanted to say it,” says Bajpai. But today, he is free to tell everyone that “I'm not happy with the situation our state is in, this communal tension makes the Lakhnawi in me sad.”

The storyteller is working on a memoir for all the people that inspired him which is currently a work in progress. But for now, what Bajpai hopes for is that the Lucknow he so fondly remembers and cherishes, the value system he respects, makes a comeback.

(This was first published in National Herald on Sunday)