Lucknow Archives

Hum, Tum, Aur Aap: Why the Insipid “You” Can Never Match the Intimacy of Hindi Pronouns

People seeped in the homogeneity of English and its pervading usage of “you” may rarely notice the gravitas that pronouns can lend to a language. But in Hindi, pronouns define more than people: They define regions, cultures, levels of civility, and even intimacy.

Runjhun Noopur July 8, 2016

Earth

Mausam Bada Beimaan Hai: Our Weather is the Great Indian Unifier

Weather in India is as contentious as our language, cuisine, and politics. It is not just a conversation starter, it is where our differences go to die and find a new life. If we didn’t have the weather, how would we discuss our government’s corruption and apathy, based on that one pothole, with perfect strangers?

Runjhun Noopur June 30, 2016

POV

Return to Neverland

I had been away from Lucknow for only four years. Memories of the city simmered inside, relived like moments with a long-lost sweetheart and shorn of all blemishes.

Naved Ahmed April 12, 2016