SUB-THREAD: Wajid Ali Shah <The Last Nawab of Awadh>. Defamed as a debauch and inefficient ruler, by British historian (& many Indian also). It is ironical that one who wrote a book on regulations and management, Dastoor-e-Wajidi, lost his own kingdom on grounds of mismanagement.

Music was always an intrinsic part of Awadh: Benaras, Jaunpur & Ayodhya, were centres of musical training. He was musically talented himself & has been credited with popularising classical North Indian music. It was due to this that Bhatkhande/Marris College of Music got started.

His pen name was Akhtar, and he wrote almost all styles of poetry like hajo (satirical), marsiya (elegy, dirge), ghazal (amatory song or poem), masnawi (verse), salam (a form of religious poetry), nauha (mourning poetry) and also bhajans on Radha-Krishna.

While leaving Lucknow, he wrote "Babul mora naihar chhooto jaaye". K.L. Saigal, who learnt the song from Pandit Shambhu Maharaj, used it in Street Singer (1938). Again, in Aavishkar (1974), <Rajesh Khanna & Sharmila Tagore> it was sung by Jagjit Singh and his wife Chitra Singh.

While leaving he also wrote:
Daro deewar par hazrat se nazar karte hain,
Khush raho ahl-e-watan,
Hum tau safar karte hai
And, people from Awadh said:
Raja Praja mil mil Roven, hil mil Rove Sara Sansar
Hai Gayo Parder ko Raja, chhor apna ghar sansar

He learnt Kathak from his court dancer-musician, Pandit Thakur Prasad and dancing duo of Kalka and Bindadin Maharaj <Kathak legend Birju Maharaj, is their descendant>. He promoted it at Kaiserbagh (‘Emperor’s Garden’), an architectural fantasia designed and constructed by him.

He is accused of cheapening the classical tradition and promoting lighter forms of music such as ghazals and thumris. But then, this is how popular music has always been criticised. Even Jagjit Singh was accused for the same. Listen their combo.

His exile would eventually lead to a cultural and aesthetic reawakening in far-off Calcutta. Kolkata biryani evolved from the Lucknow style, he also brought kakori kebab, khat-mithe pullao, chameli pullao, roomali roti, and sheermal

He was a scholar (wrote ~100 books), Poet, Stage artist & culturally evolved ruler. The mounting expenses on arts and culture didn’t bother the British as much as his secular love for the arts and excessive indulgence did. He was NOT letting them play their Divide and Rule Games.