Lucknow, for Grandad

Some of my grandfather's greatest Indian moments were spent in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. Off the travellers' trail, this was a place I felt compelled to visit and take some time to read his stories of India.

On the train into Lucknow, we passed through Kanpur - where my Grandfather was based for 2 years. I couldn't begin to contemplate how he was thrown into a more hostile and uncivilised India, still in his teenage years. But it also made sense of the great and humble man he became and following in his footsteps was the ultimate show of respect and admiration for him. This is what brought me to India.

He wrote in his memoirs: "India is a place where patience is a necessity, not a virtue" and never was that more true than in Lucknow.

Without the usual Western frills for tourists, the city was difficult to negotiate. Limited English was spoken by the general population and the rickshaws were constantly heaving with locals. Some of the rickshaw-wallahs from the tourist cities should really consider relocating!

I took myself and my grandfather's memoirs to the huge Botanical Gardens, to find that they only opened from 6am - 8am every day - classic India! By some act of fate, I ended up wandering to The Residency, the ruins of the old British Raj that were besieged in 1857. As I sat reading, I realised my grandfather had enjoyed this very place on more than one occasion with his friends. He wrote:

"There were a number of ancient Muslim temples to see, formidable and awesome in size and structure. We joined the throng on one occasion in our stocking feet, with our shoes left lying in the entrance."

70 years on, and there I sat. I felt an overwhelming connection to one of the most important people in my life.