âGreetings, sir/maâam, looking for a campus tour?â
No, donât be scared. I wonât scam you. In fact, I am far more reliable than your local âRaju Guideâ.
Let me pitch.
I wake up before you students do; honestly, I barely sleep at night. I listen to the hushed silence of examination halls and the crowded cacophony of canteens alike. I have watched aspirants toil away in libraries and dancers set the stage ablaze on “Chaiyya Chaiyya” during fests.
My departments stand tall and my grounds drench themselves in golden sunlight. Every brick, every grain of soil – I know the very soul of this campus by heart.
Yes, you guessed it right. I am not a person. I am your very own Lucknow University, speaking to you through this article.
And today, I am taking you on a walk across my lanes in this wonderland of imagination. So fasten your seatbelts and carry your ID cards – attendance might matter here.
Established in 1920, I am one of Indiaâs oldest government universities, founded by Raja Sir Mohammad Ali Mohammad Khan of Mahmudabad along with other eminent educationists of the time. Spread across a lush, heritage-rich campus in Lucknow, I proudly hold an NAAC A++ accreditation and recognition from the UGC.
But enough of this formal introduction, letâs step inside.
You must have seen that board, right? Gate No. 3. Have you noticed how majestic it looks at night? Bathed in purple and golden lights, I become a quiet showstopper for passengers gazing out of the passing metro.
And yes, not flexing but I do have an entire metro station named after me. Travel once and youâll hear her gentle announcement:
âAgla station Vishwavidyalaya hai.â
Tell me that doesnât sound poetic.
Now let me take you to the academic blocks. The tables may be slightly crooked, but the dreams nurtured here are rock solid. Some days, classes feel alive and electric; while on others, professors seem like⌠well, letâs just say even time feels sleepy.
And students – if you actually attend your classes sincerely, do you really think youâll need a gym for that weight-loss journey? Check your fitness tracker. The step count is already 10,000 by noon.
Rainy afternoons, scorching summer heat, or winter fog ; that walk from one department to another carries its own magic. You often pause mid-way, unexpectedly meeting friends from entirely different streams. The sleepy daydreams during a lecture or the âOops! Broken beakerâ moment in practical labs , these are the subtle highlights of my day.
And then come the canteens.
No fancy chandeliers. No aesthetic lighting curated for Instagram reels. But I have witnessed far more genuine laughter over a cup of chai at ‘Kishori’ than most five-star cafĂŠs ever will. Yes, I have overheard utopian startup plans brewing in the Milk Bar cafeteria.
âAs soon as I graduate, itâs either a CUET rank or a photocopy shop right outside the university.â
And honestly, why not? Pandey Bhaiyaâs customer line is no less than an SBI counter on busy days.
Here, I recognise you more by your footsteps than by your faces. For these are our OG libraries- I know exactly how many of you bury your heads in books and how many are there purely for the high-speed Wi-Fi on the cyber computers.
Here, within my classroom halls, I have paved the way for many IAS officers, politicians, actors, and administrators. The very same place you study today. They were once no different than what you are today.
Now, how can we forget my parks – the OG picnic spots? I have quietly witnessed badminton matches since the 90s. The players changed; the iconic excuse did not –
âYaar, woh na hawa chal rahi haiâŚâ
Last-minute revisions and those so-called âdata transfer programsâ between friends echo through the air. Trust me, I could give tough competition to Bollywood because far more love stories have blossomed in the PMP Park than on the silver screen. From the era of handwritten love letters to soft-launching relationships on Instagram , I remain the underrated matchmaker.
Wait! Look there. See the NCC cadets parading proudly across the BA ground? I station 4 batallions in my campus- Navy, Air and 2 of the Army wing.
“Woah, a S-I-X-E-R !!”
You see, greatness often begins in such unnoticed corners.
What if these students that you see playing cricket today at Shivaji Ground might hopefully someday appear on Star Sports.
Just some serious work needed on the facilities and regulations.
You must admit, our college has full nature vibes. Unless youâre scared of animals, itâs impossible not to be mesmerized by tiny squirrels racing across trees. The birds, the occasional peacocks perched atop the Sociology Department, or the judgmental crows gathering near the Public Administration building -yes, they do give you a bombastic side-eye.
Mind you, those wagging tails and that litter of puppies? They are mine.
I may be a college for you, but for them, I am home.
(Look, there is one behind you!)
Even 24 hours are not sufficient to explore my museums, the fine arts department, the offices, the library, the grounds and what not. So we call it a day for our campus tour(otherwise this article might become a book and the authorâs screen time is extremely unhealthy)
Students, I was standing here – with my majestic walls and elegant roofs, long before Tagore was renovated or the NEP made its way through policy discussions. My 219-acre campus carries countless moving stories at once.
I have watched eighteen-year-olds arrive believing they already know who they are. I have watched them leave, quietly astonished by how much they have changed.
Because a university is not just about degrees. It is about becoming.
It is about unlearning certainty and discovering depth.
It is about finding fragments of yourself scattered across lecture halls, grounds, and quiet benches.
Perhaps I was not on your priority list. Perhaps I was your second or third option.
But sometimes, destiny does not ask for preference – it simply chooses alignment.
And even if, by chance, you did not choose meâŚ
Remember –
I chose you.