Latte with Phoenix

All of us have experienced three months of Lockdown and have passed through various aspects of life never experienced before. Some were delightful, some troublesome, but all new. These can be recounted as Taking it easy in life, Redistribution of work among members of the household, Leisurely naps in the daytime, Catching up on watching movies on Netflix, Amazon etc; Catching up long pending reading of books, Realising that life can be enjoyed without going out to Malls, restaurants etc. Another aspect was Indoor Games. Of course games like Table Tennis were out of question- for which you had to go out. Simple games like Carrom board, Cards, Snakes & Ladders, Chinese Checkers, Ludo, Chess, etc were needed. The catch was that if you had the particular game board - then good, otherwise it was not available, as all stationery/ toy shops were closed in this lockdown period. My household was in the second category. After playing cards for a couple of days, we wanted varie

The month of Jyestha/Jeth falling during early May to mid June is eagerly awaited in Lucknow as it holds a special annual event. The occasion is the special Darshan of Lord Hanuman and asking of wishes in the Hanuman Temple at Aliganj, and the accompanying mela.                       The first tuesdayof the month of Jeth has the honour of being known as Bada Mangal. The last tuesday of the month of Jyestha is known as Budhwa Mangal (it could be 4th or sometimes the 5th). The rest of the tuesdays in between do not have any special name. The darshan and occasion are specific to the two temples (old and new) at Aliganj, but with time all Hanuman Temples in Lucknow have started organising similar festivities and mela. May be it is better business sense to do so. Old Hanuman Mandir and its Diety              A brief History …. In the year 1718 Awadh Queen Alia Begum was getting a palace made in Aliganj, Lucknow. During the digging work at t