Lucknow’s Water, Soil, and Air Carry Love and Brotherhood: Blessed by Our Elders – Shaabu Zaidi

Lucknow’s water, soil, and air embody love and brotherhood, sustained by our elders’ blessings that keep religious harmony alive today. Lucknow is world-renowned for its adab (etiquette), mohabbat (love), tehzeeb (culture), and respect for all religions. The waters and soil of the Gomti here hold immense love and honor—as everyone knows, Hindus built mosques, and Muslims constructed temples. On this, a poet said:Done much destruction, even Delhi left in grief,
But by my life, Lucknow has truly looted hearts.Lucknow University’s Example of HarmonyAmid today’s religious tensions, Lucknow stands firm on its timeless adab, love, and harmony. Lucknow University exemplifies this, producing presidents, great leaders, IAS, IPS, PCS officers, and doctors for the nation. Upholding mutual love and respect, students formed a complete protective circle around Muslims to offer namaz. Sources indicate the ASI had closed the old mosque inside the university for some reason, but students reopened it and ensured namaz was performed safely. Hearing this, a joyful smile lit up the faces of Lucknow’s original residents.Dr. Anoop Arpan’s SherDr. Anoop Arpan recited this sher in this context:Lucknow is, so faith is—no domes or minarets,
Not just a city, not mere markets.
In love’s lap, flowers of affection bloom,
In its lanes, angels’ footsteps are found.Abbas Mukharji’s MessageAbbas Mukharji said our Lucknow’s Gomti River is known worldwide as the serene river.
He added that if you touch the soil here, it clings to your hand, reluctant to let go.
It’s not like the loose sand of other lands that slips away.
So I realized—whether we remain or not, this culture endures, for in its air, water, and soil lies a unique love, adab, and loyalty to one another, ever-present and eternal.National Leaders’ Speech: Atal and Rajnath’s Lucknow LoveOur national leaders—former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and current leader Rajnath Singh—speak with a tehzeeb distinct from others even today. It seems to amplify the love embedded in Lucknow’s Gomti, soil, and air. �