Last week...work took me to Lucknow again after a gap of almost 2 years. As the flight descended on tarmac of the Amausi airport, I was reminded of my last visit. Not much has changed in 2 years...at least on the face of it. The small airport with its courteous staff still bears a deserted look for most part of the day.
Outside, the streets...dusty with the arid summer air. The retail revolution has spread its tentacles far and wide – we see visible signs of the arrival of hyper markets, in the conspicuous orange hoardings for Spencer’s that dot the arterial road which connects the twin cities of Lucknow and Kanpur.
This time around, talking to mothers about the aspirations they have for their kids, took me by surprise. They talked about the dreams they have for their daughters…about the daughter being considered an equal…not having to wait for her brother to finish eating before she was served…about the independence and freedom they have to move out and around in society…not just the opportunity to have a career but also the privilege to make the choice about what it should be. And as parents they no longer thought of putting their life savings only to fuel their son’s future as an heir to the family. Investment in a daughter’s education was as important – educating the girls in this generation is ensuring the upliftment of the next generation – this coming from women who belonged to the lower strata of society – was such a heartening thought.
I spent the rest of my day there with a smile - beaming across my face.
Perhaps in the years that have gone by another quiet revolution had started to take root in Lucknow.
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