Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Many of us may have heard about Sham-e-Awadh, an evening in Awadh or lively evenings in Lucknow, the capital of the former Awadh region. Now, it is the capital of Uttar Pradesh.
Sham-e-Awadh generally calls to mind tinkling of the anklets of beautiful courtesans, Urdu poetry, Ghazals, music and of course Nafasat (elegance) and Nazaquat (delicacy) which were part of the glorious past. Urdu poetry and Ghazals stay alive, but the rest of the things have gone into the pages of history.
Today, the City of Nawabs, as Lucknow is called, is just rings as chime of the bygone era in the din of modernity. The city has also lost its natural beauty. The banks of the Gomti River that lazily rolls through the heart of the city are hardly as green as they used to be even in the early 1970s. The busy evenings of today hardly remember the Sham-e-Awadh of the past.
Evening in Bhopal
‘Sham-e-Bhopal’ or an evening in Bhopal is a mélange of the past and the present. A visitor realises this only when he trips to the City of Lakes, also called the City of Nawabs or Bhopal, in an evening.
Like the Gomti River in Lucknow, the Upper Lake gurgles through Bhopal. It is surrounded by chains of hillocks and trees. The setting sun sets its water aglow. Its banks are echoed with the dawdles of feathered friends.
The chirps gradually grow faint with the advancing dusk, and then ‘Sham-e-Bhopal’ unfolds itself. This is the time to have a ride in a car or on a two-wheeler around the city, especially around the VIP Road. Or, if possible, the rover can stop on the banks of the Upper Lake to have an exquisite view of the city and enjoy the salubrious breeze coming from the lake.
As the vehicle lurches towards the Raja Bhoj airport, the streetlights, the shrubs, and the giant trees on both sides of the road – slightly empty by the late evening and the buzzing of cicadas – make your heart throb. The stars look like the lights of a tavern switched on by an unseen hand.
One cannot help but wish to stop at this place for a while. And if it is a full moon night, the city becomes a heaven on the earth. Wherever one goes one enjoys the golden light of the night. The wide asphalt roads appear like the back of a tortoise.
If the rolling stone wants to have a cup of tea, he can enjoy it under the moonlit sky. Though rolling stone is someone who avoids social responsibilities, in the present context, it symbolises someone who wanders like clouds which soak the Mother Earth to keep her cool and green.
On the way, there are bulb sculptures of animals, lively fountains, and colourful lights to charm the wanderer.
Then the itinerant can move towards the Jail Road, but he should opt for soft driving. Else, he may miss something that his heart has craved for.
By the time he reaches the spot the queen of the night has settled herself in the middle of the firmament. The rambler must stop and sit under a tree to have a look at the dark, deep, lovely woods. Some roaring cars and bikes may draw his attention. Yet, soaked in the moonlight, he becomes oblivious of everything. He only inhales the fragrance of wild flowers emanating from the nearby thicket.
The sound of music
Every evening the city is drenched in music – either instrumental or vocal. Vocalists and instrumentalists – both classical and modern – regale the music lovers. Many of these artistes are Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan awardees. Such events are held either in Ravindra Bhawan or in Bharat Bhawan. As the evening progresses, the notes of music mingle with the descending night. Sham-e-Bhopal ends with a plagal cadence.
