Having been born and raised in Lucknow, almost all my childhood memories are embedded in the city. Growing up in the outskirts, I remember the city as being filled with greenery and simplicity.

Whether it was the imli tree-lined estates in ‘Cantt’ (Lucknow Cantonment) where I learnt to climb trees, or the jamun trees in our farms near Mohanlal Ganj (that caused many a stain on my clothes as proof of theft), or the mango orchards where summer fun and spider-bites came together, Lucknow was green, simple and joyful.