Each approaching day brings us closer to Eid celebrations. In the midst of the countdown, Camongo met up with the great-great-granddaughter of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, ManzilatFatima at her celebrated open terrace restaurant, Manzilat in Kolkata, that is making waves for Awadhi food cooked just the way the royal preferred it.
Looking Back…
Emblematic of the unique Nawabi identity of Lucknow, Wajid Ali Shah, the last ruler of Awadh (Lucknow) remains a celebrated figure in history more than two centuries after his demise. Perhaps it is due to the umpteen stories and myths around him owing to the unusual and unfair circumstances that destiny led him through
Wajid Ali Shah was dethroned by the British and his kingdom was annexed. As Manzilat tells us he did not try and escape the British by running away to avoid arrest nor was he exiled. It is a myth that he was deported to Kolkata on exile in 1856. History bears out this fact amply today.
Researchers have stressed that the charges trumped up against him were wrong and unfair, and the manner in which his kingdom was annexed was downright illegal. In protest, the Nawab was, in fact, on his way to London to meet the Queen with his lawyers and appeal against his wrongful dethroning.
Unfortunately, when he reached Kolkata via Kanpur and Varanasi, Wajid Ali Shah fell ill and was advised against undertaking any long sea journey that could seriously worsen his health.
He chose to stay behind with his family that included his wife, Begum Hazrat Mahal, at Metiabruzbut was subsequently imprisoned by the British in Fort William for a longish period of 26 months as the environment in the country grew progressively hostile with countless uprisings by the people of the country. The obvious reason was that the Britishers were scared that the Nawab could use his immense popularity to lead a revolt against them.
Present-day researchers have documented how the common people of Lucknow missed their ruler so badly that they composed songs imploring him to return back. Some folk songs like Toye bin hamkabarkhanasuhaye, o Calcutte wale jawaiyeAllah tumhelaye” (I don’t enjoy the showers in your absence. O my Ruler in Calcutta, may Allah bring you back) are around even today! Historians have written how his subjects across religions refused to celebrate any festival for at least a year after he left.
Upon his release, Wajid Ali Shah decided to remain back in Metiabruz, Calcutta. But evidently, he was a nostalgic royal who pined for his beloved Awadh. As we know from confirmed and unconfirmed sources, he ordered the creation of a mini-Lucknow in Metiabruz, one that was a pale throwback to his rich cultural city, but reminded him at least a little of his beloved kingdom.
A little browsing on the net tells us that Wajid Ali Shah was a master of performing arts. He was possibly the first Urdu drama writer and director and one who spent lavishly on the set, costumes, and props. The leading masters of the day trained him personally in Sitar and the nuances of Kathak.
About his life in Metiabruz, Manzilat says,” From a richly-endowed setup where a single meal would be comprised of items from five or seven different royal kitchens, Wajid Ali Shah was now having his food cooked in a single kitchen in Metiabruz.”
However, his retinue of loyal staff were always keen to experiment and create newer variants of dishes for their Nawab as they had done in their earlier kingdom. “The gastronomic culture of Awadh was hugely advanced,” Manzilat tells Camongo,” Chefs were continually encouraged to experiment and produce newer and more refined dishes that would be presented to the Nawab for his approval.”
As a result, the royal kitchen staff in Calcutta possibly decided to switch to potatoes in biryani in addition to meat, as a novelty. They presented it to Wajid Ali Shah and the dish got approved. And, stayed on. “Remember, back in the day, potato was an exotic vegetable and not native to India. It was also expensively priced, possibly more than meat itself,” she says.
The popular story of adding potatoes to biryani to alter the rice-meat ratio and cut costs as the royal kitchens were in financial distress is yet another myth that surrounds the life of the Nawab, feels Manzilat.
After Wajid Ali Shah’s demise, the staff in the royal kitchens moved away from Metiabruz to different parts of Calcutta and set up their independent kitchens or they worked for eminent Muslim families in Kolkata. Thus,the Calcutta biryani moved out of its original location of Metiabruz and emerged as the favourite dish of lakhs with its own distinctive flavour.
Manzilat by Manzilat Fatima
Located along the E.M.Bypass in Kasba on the eastern fringe of the city is Manzilat where Manzilat Fatima, the royal descendant and home chef has brought alive the magic of erstwhile royal Awadhi kitchens. In her open terrace restaurant, she whiffs up the most exotic Awadhi dishes you can possibly imagine. She says, “Manzilat upholds the Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb (a seamless blend of Hindu and Islamic cultural elements) beautifully through its menu and ambience. It is our constant endeavour to provide the splendidly developed cuisine of Awadh to our patrons. Let the delightful ambience and bonhomie of brotherhood prevail in the city forever.”
CAMONGO WISHES EVERYONE ‘EID MUBARAK’.
MAY YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES BE BLESSED WITH HAPPINESS, JOY, AND PEACE.
With inputs from Debosmita Bhattacharya , Neha Karmakar & Nilankur Ganguly
Picture taken by Sajal Das
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