So, that day these
friends of mine came back from vishal bhardwaj’s Ishqiya and asked me – “girl!
are you from that city, really?”. I decided to watch the movie first and then
comment.
Well, I could say it was
an altogether different GKP (Gorakhpur- A City in Eastern UP). VB presented the
city as I myself had never seen in 23 years of my life. Gun holding kids ( the
dialogue implied that a kid in GKP learns using guns before- well let’s say-
anything else important), its flimsy beauty parlors, its men enticed never
enough, its women directly out of magazines being sold on stations, its
mini lakhpatis but seedy life style, and silent indecent hidden corners of the
city.
Well, this gory image painted is not for the first time. GKP seems to have been a favorite among cynical TV comedians as well. they do superb insult of the general behavior, walking style, talking style, even the accent and IQ! I mean hello!, who can help with the accent which you get to carry since your birth. and what about IQ! in this domain, UP and Bihar has proven their worth already, many times! If you belong to UP east, you feel like doing- oh not again, Facepalm!
In your first intro, you tell your city/state and congratulations!- the baggage is attached with you!! you are out-of-date, first choice for your name must have been phoolmati, your English/persona must be miserable (now a days they are used interchangingly conveniently enough) , and to top all that- you may be connected to a criminal background as well :O
Aye, this is the image my city holds. Yes, I am a GKP-baby; but trust me GKP is lot more than this! take a tour with me-
Gorakhpur dates back to
6th century in India. named after the ascetic Guru Gorakhnath, it
owns a large temple & ashram on his name. city has cradled many great
historical people. the city is rich in culture and historical
importance. it shares its part of history in the two major religions Hinduism
and Buddhism and has been an important center of Aryan civilization.
Gorakhpur became one of the major centers of the famous 1857 uprising.
Gorakhpur helped the Indian national movement. The turning-point in the history
of India’s freedom struggle started with the ‘Chauri Chaura’ incident of 1922,
here.The city also hosted the mystic poet and famous saint Kabir. All that
history books told me, yeah Majestic records indeed! read on, there is much
more..
Many personalities have
brought international attention to Gorakhpur. The city of Gorakhpur is very
proud of its population of people and their abilities. It has cradled social
workers, very first freedom fighters, the world famous Hindi & Urdu
Writers, and many sports and movie personalities,
Its second language
Bojpuri is spoken frequently in Fiji, Trinidad, Tobago, Guyana,
Mauritius, and Suriname.
As a gateway to Nepal,
It boasts an important strategic location. It holds the headquarters of
busy North-Eastern Railway.
There are many venues to shop and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the city, Fountains and magnificent landscape. cyber café shops, variety of hotels, parks, small zoos, NGO organizations, medical stores, shopping malls, banks and excellent colleges.
Famous for its
exhaustive Geeta press. there are many bustling markets where you get fine
clothing material at very humble rates.
Yes, GKP was underdeveloped. region had been rife with gangs and their wars; thus the sobriquet of ‘Chicago of the East’ and ‘Slice of Sicily’- although such incidents happened more in the adjoining areas: bahraich, deoria, ajamgarh and alike.
But, after a turbulent fling with crimes and atrocities, city has cooled down with the passing of time and is producing intellectual young generation.
Emerging as a potential trade center of india, GKP is one of the fastest developing cities in india.
The humble and
education-centric parents send their children to metros for a better life and
this way city stands still in terms of so-called ‘chic crowd’. but,
the onus is on administration here. if they develop the city more & faster,
generate enough opportunities, and provide with enough incentives, the young
crowd do not need to leave the family and earn bread & respect outside,
as ever.
De-stigmatization of this pool-of-opportunities city is called for more than ever. the history speaks for it. The city and the natives will do even better, give them a chance folks!
