Canning College: The Lucknow University Years

I did a B.Com from Lucknow University. The three years I spent there were quite memorable, though I now regret not having paid enough attention to my academics

In an earlier post, I wrote about Christian College, from where I completed the last two years of my schooling. After class 12 was done and dusted with, I decided to do a B.Com from Canning College, Lucknow University. The story continues here.

Getting admission into Canning College, Lucknow University was much simpler back in 1990, than it is now. There was no written test, for one. From what I remember, all I had to do was fill a form, attach copies of my class 12 marksheet, submit that form in the admin office and that was it – I was in. A bunch of my friends from Christian College had also secured admission – we’d all now be spending three years studying economics, accountancy and banking etc., and hopefully get a graduate degree in commerce at the end of those years. Looking back, I now realise I had no interest in – and no particular aptitude for – commerce. Why I opted for B.Com is now a mystery to me, but lack of other options must have been one of the reasons. In terms of general awareness and the existence of dozens of different career options, as well streams of study that one can opt for, 1990 may as well have been another planet when compared to 2024.

Lucknow Christian Inter College: My Last Two Years in School

Lucknow Christian Inter College, where I studied for two years

In an earlier post, I wrote about my school days in Lucknow – the first 12 years, two of which were spent at Mount Carmel, and the remaining 10 at St. Francis College. After completing class 10 from St. Francis, it was time for to move on, since I had opted to study commerce in class 11 and 12, and SFC did not have that option. The story continues here.

Along with a small group of my friends from SFC, all of whom had also chosen commerce, I got an admission into Lucknow Christian Inter College for my final two years in school. Established in 1862, Christian College is one of the oldest education institutions in Lucknow and is situated in Qaisar Bagh, a mere 3km from the historic Bada Imambara. Inside the sprawling old campus, there are multiple buildings that have apparently been constructed at different times over the last 100-125 years. It’s a grand old place that had a slight air of decay, a whiff of neglect, about it in the late-1980s. It may have been spruced up these days, though I wouldn’t know about it since I haven’t been inside the campus after 1990.

St Francis College: My School Days in Lucknow

A video of St. Francis College, in Lucknow, where I studied for 10 years
Video copyright: St. Francis College

In an earlier post, I had shared some of my earliest memories of Lucknow, my hometown. In a follow-up to that, here are some memories of my school days - of the time I spent in Mount Carmel and then in St. Francis College.

When I was born, in 1973, my parents used to live with my grandfather in his very large, old house in the quiet residential locality of Mahanagar. There were no apartment complexes back then – Mahanagar was lined with stately old homes, most of them having been built in the early-1950s. My father’s younger brother also used to live in the same house. However, by the time my sister and I were born, each family had started feeling the need for more space, and my parents moved out. A Punjabi family, whose house was a 5-6 minute walk from my grandfather’s house, were looking to rent out their first floor, which comprised a living room, one bedroom, one bathroom, a balcony at the front, a large open courtyard and an open backyard. My father spoke to the owner – a kindly old gentleman, Mr Batra – who agreed to give the place to us at a monthly rent of Rs 350. This was towards the end of 1976. No rent agreement was signed, no police verification – just a verbal agreement between my father and Mr Batra, and we moved in. My father used to work with the ICI Group in those days, and his office was also just a 5-minute walk from Mr Batra’s house.

Pixels Multimedia: End of Days

Sometimes, life can take you down a path you never thought you'd ever walk 

In an earlier post, I wrote about how things had started going downhill at Pixels, team members had left and I was on my own. I was also on the verge of having to move Pixels out of the Sahara Bazar location, which had proven to be expensive and where the lack of footfalls had stopped the business from growing. The story continues here.

My father had been able to speak to his bosses and eventually got a transfer to Lucknow. He was actually doing very well in Bareilly and both he and my mother were quite happy there. However, he got the transfer in order to help me out and to ensure that we could all be together in one house. We rented a house in Aliganj, where I would have the largest room in the house – the drawing-cum-dining room – from where I could continue to run Pixels Multimedia in its new, diminished avatar.

Big Changes Happen at Pixels

Pixels Multimedia would ultimately move from Sahara Bazar, in Gomti Nagar, to a large house that we took up on rent in Aliganj. Here is a small animated clip of our new setup in Aliganj, which I made in Corel Motion 3D

In an earlier post, I wrote about experiencing the great kindness that was extended to me, for which I remain eternally grateful. When I was asked to vacate the house I was living in, my friend Shobhit immediately offered to let me stay in one of the two houses that his family owned in Lalbagh, and even refused to let me pay rent. When I had to sell my old motorcycle because it had become unreliable, my Tau ji gave me money to buy a new motorcycle. But in the meanwhile, there was trouble brewing at Pixels – there were issues that I would have to address immediately and some changes that I would have to deal with. The story continues here.

When I reached office that day, Tabrez was already there – he had reached there before me, which was slightly unusual. We looked at each other and I think both of us realised that we needed to talk. It had been around 6-7 months since we’d started Pixels Multimedia, things were tough and we needed to reevaluate and clearly define Tabrez’s role in what we were trying to do. I called for cups of chai from a nearby teashop and we sat down inside my small cabin. I encouraged Tabrez to speak openly and share his views on where he thought our business was going and what needed to be done in order to keep going. He admitted he was going through a lean phase and that he needed some time to think about the next steps that he wanted to take. On his part, I think there was a tacit admission of the fact that he wasn’t really enjoying working at Pixels, that there wasn’t really much for him to do (especially given his complete lack of interest in computers) and that he may eventually move on to do something else. As I said earlier, when we first met in October 1996, we were both very excited at the prospect of working together. Now, 8-9 months down the line, we were realizing that that happiness, that excitement stemmed from our many years of friendship and little else. Neither of us had thought things through, which had landed us in a difficult situation.

Pixels Multimedia: Thrown In at the Deep End

Managing Pixels Multimedia and running the business wasn't easy, but I quite enjoyed the challenge. Every day brought new surprises, new issues to resolve...

In an earlier post, I wrote about the passing of my grandfather and travelling to Jaipur to pay my last respects to him. In the meanwhile, things were steaming ahead at work; within one week of my coming back from Jaipur to Lucknow, my small team and I launched Pixels Multimedia. After about 10 intense weeks of groundwork, we were finally open for business. Unfortunately, within a few days after this, I got a call from Mr Nautiyal, in whose house I was staying, and went to meet him. He said I’d have to vacate the house, since he needed the room that he had given to me. He said he was very sorry about this and I reassured him that vacating the house was not a problem, and that I’d find another place and move out soon. The story continues here.

After being asked to vacate the house where I’d been living for the last 10 weeks, I was slightly worried. I needed to find a room quickly – a neat, clean room that I wouldn’t have to share with anyone else. Preferably one that had a PCO and a few inexpensive eating joints in the vicinity. And a safe parking spot for my trusty old Yamaha RX100, which was now beginning to show its age. I spoke to a few of my friends about this and one of them – Shobhit – immediately offered to let me stay in one of the two houses that his family owned in Lalbagh, near Hazratganj. In the house where he offered to let me stay, his family had an office on the ground floor, while the first floor was unoccupied. I was very grateful for his offer, and one room, with an attached bathroom, was given to me. I moved out of Mr Nautiyal’s house in Indira Nagar and took my stuff to Shobhit’s house in Lalbagh. This house was around 9-10km from Pixels Multimedia, which was in Gomti Nagar. But I used to love riding my RX100 in those days and quite enjoyed commuting from home to work and back. I used to get to work early and the morning rides used to be insane, with me wringing out every last bit of performance from my bike’s two-stroke 100cc engine. Downshifting aggressively at every opportunity, accelerating hard, cornering as hard as I dared and riding as fast as possible – the 15-20 minutes of riding to work in the morning, when there was not much traffic on the roads, was pure bliss.

Pixels Multimedia: Countdown to Launch

As we prepared to launch Pixels Multimedia, there were literally hundreds of things that needed to be done. Surfing on a wave of adrenaline, Tabrez and I spent hours running around every day, getting things organised and ready for launch

In a recent post, I wrote about moving back to Lucknow, reconnecting with old friends and working out an agreement with my friend Tabrez, who said he’d like to work with me on setting up and running Pixels Multimedia. Though we didn’t realise it then, we hadn’t even reached base camp and there was a very tall, very formidable mountain that we’d soon need to climb. The story continues here.

The first step was to find a suitable place for the institute. I wanted to start with about half a dozen computers and wanted to rent a place situated in a fairly busy place, ideally frequented by a large number of young people. But as I started looking at commercial properties in prime locations, I quickly realised that rents would be astronomical. Places that would provide high visibility were terribly expensive. Lower rents meant out-of-the-way places tucked away in quiet areas, which did not have the ‘buzz’ I was looking for. Within a week, I met at least a dozen or more property brokers and owners but was unable to find a place that seemed right, with the right balance between the rent that I’d have to pay and the visibility I’d get.

Setting up Pixels Multimedia in Lucknow: The First Steps

I'd be starting a new life in Lucknow, stepping into uncharted territory, doing things I'd never done before, making mistakes and getting into and out of trouble. Fools rush in... 

In a recent post, I wrote about leaving my job in Baroda and coming back to Bareilly. I had spent a year in Baroda working on a computer and was obsessed with computers and technology. I had developed a deep interest in things like image and audio/video editing, illustration and 3D animation, and wanted to do something in these areas. In the end I decided to try my hand at setting up a training institute for these, in Lucknow. The story continues here.

I was all set to say goodbye to Bareilly and move back to Lucknow, my hometown, where I would start work on setting up my first business venture – Pixels Multimedia, a training institute where people would have access to the latest computers and advanced software, along with high-quality instruction from experts. Despite having zero experience, I would be setting up the institute and handling everything on my own – the belief one has in his or her own capabilities when one is young, is nothing short of astonishing.

1970s-80: My Earliest Memories of Lucknow

Playing in the front lawn of my grandfather's house in Mahanagar, Lucknow. I guess I must have been around three years old when this photo was taken

I was born in Lucknow in January 1973. That was half a century ago and compared with what it is now, Lucknow was a very different city back then. Quieter, calmer, less frenzied, with way less traffic and with a more laidback pace of life. The best part, perhaps, was that there weren’t any high-rise apartment complexes back then (at least none that I know of) and even middle-class families lived in row houses. Actual, independent, standalone houses, perhaps with a small garden up front, maybe a small kitchen garden at the back and an open courtyard somewhere where one could sit in the winter afternoons, or summer evenings. Compared with how things are now, most residential areas in Lucknow back in the 1970s and 1980s had relatively much lower population density, which I believe makes a very, very big difference to the living experience.