A feast of classical music
Even Nawab Asaf-ud-daula, who shifted his capital from Faizabad to Lucknow, had no inkling that the latter city would become the nucleus of a unique culture. The Lucknow Durbar reached the peak of its cultural glory under the Nawabs of Awadh up until Wajid Ali Shah. This year, the Mahendra Sanatqada Lucknow Festival (3-7 February) showcased the city’s rich tradition of Raqs-o-Mausiqi (dance and music), which includes a range of flourishing forms like khayal, thumri, ghazal, soz, marsiakhwani and dastangoi with an…