We do not remember days, we remember moments - Happy Birthday Lamakaan

roaming aimlessly

It was the third year of my Engineering and I used to keep roaming around the city especially in the night for the strange traditions my friends and I sub-consciously followed and the gypsies we were. On one such day a friend of mine promised me to take me to an unexplored street where we could chat and spend time surrounded by darkness and absolute solace. When I reached the place which was referred to as "THE SPOT", it didn't haunt me as I previously imagined by it's description, the street although very dark was very serene and had no movement at all. The busy main road was a few hundred meters away, but this street was absolutely deserted.

The lane had nothing but big houses which apparently had no inhabitants. Our SPOT gave us nothing but the shade of two trees and a pavement on which we could sit and a pole, the box attached to which served as a hiding place for anything that anyone wanted to keep.

We were all in love with the place and it didn't take long for all of us to make it a common meeting point. There was this deserted house right in front of our SPOT which was dusty and we never saw any sort of movement in it. We presumed it to be one of the many houses of the Nizam's family in Hyderabad.

One fine night, when we reached the SPOT, we were shunned to see a lot of people there dressed in their best and this Nizami looking house was all overhauled and decorated with lights. There were cars parked in large numbers outside and some sort of a musical gathering going on inside the house. We had absolutely no idea as to what was happening.
One of them suggested, it probably is a SWEARING IN sort of ceremony that Indian's tend to conduct whilst moving in to a new house. We weren't much bothered by this unusual activity and moved on.

After a week, I got to know about a poetry event in the city and I made my mind to attend it. It was at some place called Lamakaan and I had no clue where it was or what it was. When I reached the venue after following the given directions I was pleasantly surprised to know what Lamakaan was. The rest is history now. Since then it is a step house for me and you can find me at Lamakaan almost every single evening and yeah the weekends are also included.

So, what exactly is Lamakaan ?:

the three musketeers

It is a talent incubator, an art nourisher, a social hub, a place to unleash your creative best and it is the 'in thing' these days. It is also referred to as an abode for the homeless and it belongs to everyone and anyone.  Besides having a Irani cafe themed lounge, it also has a open space with a stage and a screen, that can accommodate 150-200 people. The best thing about Lamakaan is that you get to host your events for free,   you get to meet loads of interesting people, surf free internet, have some awesome samosas and chai and do what you love while loving whatever you do (*of course conditions apply).

Mr. Ashhar Farhaan, nephew of the documentary film-maker late Janab M Hassan made Lamakaan what it is as a tribute to his uncle. It's been a year that Lamakaan was born and it has grown so well in such a short term. My best wishes with Lamakaan and its curators. Lamakaan has a long long and a very long life to live and serve as a home to the homeless. Also, there is quite a background to the word 'Lamakaan', if Sufism interests you, you might want to research more as to what it exactly refers to.

Three things you should do at Lamakaan:

lamakaan

1. Have samosa's and chai every single time you step in.
2. Host your own event, at least once.
3. Make loads of friends from a panoramic background.

Three things you shouldn't do at Lamakaan:
1. Smoke while an event is going on.
2. Have a BIG bill pending with the restaurant.
3. Step-in without a Wi-Fi enabled device.

Three things you must've noticed at Lamakaan:
1. The glaring white gate with Lamakaan written on it.

chandelier in the hall

2. A big dish antenna on the terrace.
3. The small little pond beneath the stairs of Lamakaan's rare entrace.

Three things you must not have noticed at Lamakaan:
1. The balcony railings have triple 'S' inscribed right in the middle.
2. The wall tiles towards the entrance of the hall (upstairs) have Arabic text.
3. The walls behind the stage are painted Black.

So, if you happen to be someone who was unaware of this place, please click here and know more about it and what goes on here. Let's catch up!

Woah! This turned out to be my lengthiest post on this blog.

I would leave you with a couplet by Hazrat Shah Niaz,
Hum ko yahaan dar dar phiraaya Yaar ne,
Lamakaan mein ghar banaaya Yaar ne.