With Metro, Ganjing takes on a new meaning for Lucknowites

LUCKNOW: A new chapter was added on Saturday to 'Ganjing' - a leisure visit to Hazratganj - when hordes of enthusiastic Lucknowites filled the Metro station for a ride on the much-awaited train amidst loud beats of instrumental music and clicked selfies with the red-black train, decorated artistically with multi-hued flowers.

With strenuous traffic jams clogging the city daily, going out for shopping in Hazratganj had become difficult for Deepa and her husband. But things changed on Saturday. "I live in Munshipullia locality while my husband's office is far away in Transportnagar. After coming to home late from office, facing innumerable traffic jams, we never had the courage to visit Hazratganj late in the evening. But now with Metro at our doorstep, we could beat traffic jams to visit Hazratganj, do some shopping and come back home in time. We both are happy to be able to spend some quality time together," said Deepa with a whiff of relief in her voice.

Often labelled as a 'mini Connaught Place', and also known for its shopping and food joints, Lucknowites missed out on the experience of Ganjing due to the construction of Metro lines. But with its launch, the only thing they were excited about, apart from the Metro, was restoration of the past glory to the area. "Because of the crowded modes of transport, be it bus or auto, it was difficult for me to go out for shopping with my kid. But the comfortable and convenient Metro has made it possible for me to travel with my child," said Prerna, who had come to Hazratganj on Metro.

Another denizen, Naval Kishore, who boarded the train from Lekhraj Market station along with his daughters, said: "I never thought that reaching Hazratganj will be so easy on a weekend. In just 15 minutes I reached here."

(With inputs from Gaurav Dwivedi and Vivek Singh Chauhan)