ABODE OF FAIRIES: Lucknows Parikhana

ABOUT THE BOOK Wajid Ali Shah, the last King of Awadh, who was accused of misgovernance and deposed by the British in 1856, remained an enigma all through his life time. In addition to soulful writings and innovative dance / musical compositions, his unique contribution to the cultural landscape of Lucknow was the establishment of a finishing school for women, for training them in music and dance. This was called Parikhana, accounts of which were described in his book, Ishqnama, one of his earliest semi-biographical books. The present volume attempts to analyse in an unbiased manner, the king's motives and intentions in establishing Parikhana, taking into account the moral and cultural ethos prevalent in those times. The author also seeks to dispel the viewpoint that numerous mut'ah wives and their induction in Parikhana was part of any ulterior motive of the young king. Instead, it was merely a reflection on his profound love for the performing arts, and his firm belief on the restorative effect of music on himself, as well as on others. ABOUT THE AUTHOR PC Sarkar, Principal Scientist with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Govt. of India, holds a Ph.D in organic chemistry. He studied in St Francis’ College, Lucknow and Lucknow Christian College, followed by Lucknow University. In addition to a specialized book on chemistry and several research publications in national and international journals pertaining to his scientific profession, Dr Sarkar has to his credit, more than 50 articles on Lucknow, which appeared in the Heritage Page of the Lucknow Tribune during 2013-14. He has published two books on the lost heritage of Lucknow: Lucknow - Buildings, Begums and The British (2015) and Lucknow - Ode To A City (2021). CONTENTS Exordium 1. Prologue .15 2. Connoisseur and Maestro .39 3. Tawa’if and Mut’ah: A Study in Contrasts .49 Abode of Fairies 4. The Parikhana.59 5. Annotations .177 6. Epilogue: The King’s Last Laugh .199 Select Bibliography .205 Annexure - I .213 Annexure - II .215 Index .217 The Title 'ABODE OF FAIRIES: Lucknow’s Parikhana written/authored/edited by PC Sarkar', published in the year 2022. The ISBN 9789353249434 is assigned to the Hardcover version of this title. This book has total of pp. 226 (Pages). The publisher of this title is Kalpaz Publications. This Book is in English. The subject of this book is History. Size of the book is 13.34 x 21.59 cms Vol:-