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My Allahabad Story

Himendra Nath Varma

4.10 · Rating details · 10 ratings · 8 reviews

My Allahabad Story recollects the author's privileged childhood in a prominent family of the city he is obsessed with. He traces his growing years in the large middle class Kayastha family bringing out in amusing detail, some quaint social customs and traditions that existed half a century ago.

The author wonderfully describes the changed complexion of the city with a tinge ...more

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Paperback, 232 pages

Published February 12th 2018 by Bloomsbury India

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May 06, 2018 Tavleen Kaur (Travelling Through Words) rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2018

3.5 stars

My Allahabad Story is a memoir of the author as he recounts his journey and his relationship with the city of Allahabad starting from 1946.

I love the process of penning down your thoughts and memories. I also agree with the author as he mentions in the introduction that memories can be powerful, precious possessions and should be preserved for posterity. I was extremely excited about reading about the author and his family in Allahabad and their customs and traditions from the 1940’s

The ...more

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Aug 09, 2020 Madhulika Liddle rated it really liked it

I began this book with some trepidation, dreading a sentimental and melodramatic paean to Allahabad. Many Indians driven to write their memoirs tend to be overly sappy or (at the opposite end of the spectrum) too salacious for my liking.

So it came as a very pleasant surprise to read Himendra Nath Varma’s My Allahabad Story, which consists mostly of memories of Allahabad from around the last 1940s (when Varma was a small boy) to about 1966, when he left Allahabad—though with frequent visits to t ...more

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Oct 14, 2020 Saurabh Pandey rated it really liked it

Being from the city to which the author belongs, I was a bit interested in reading this book as it talks about the development which took place in the last century. The author has done his job beautifully and has covered almost all the aspect of the city. He nicely puts up the features of the city & he also tells us about the relevance of a particular place in context to the event that has taken place.
This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to know about the city of Bungalows i.e. Allahaba ...more

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Dec 18, 2019 Anuradha Goyal rated it really liked it

Lovely language, old world charm. Detailed review - https://www.anureviews.com/my-allahab... ...more

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Nov 15, 2020 Amartya Singh rated it it was amazing

The Book is like a Time Machine,you wont realise when you would feel as if you are sitting inside the Author's Living Room on 7 Elgin Road and seeing the events mentioned in the book unfold.
The boom takes you back to the pristine glory of Allahabad.
Truly a must read for every Allahabadi ...more

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May 04, 2018 Subodh rated it really liked it

I would not have read this book, if it had not been lent to me by my good friend Gurjit Cheema. I am usually suspicious of reminiscences by retired people, and the first few pages seemed to confirm my prejudice. However, the book drew me in pretty soon and I finished it in a few sessions with a glow of nostalgia. I had spent two years of my late teens in Allahabad for my graduation from the famed Allahabad University and the book brought back many pleasant memories.

Allahabad used to be the intel I would not have read this book, if it had not been lent to me by my good friend Gurjit Cheema. I am usually suspicious of reminiscences by retired people, and the first few pages seemed to confirm my prejudice. However, the book drew me in pretty soon and I finished it in a few sessions with a glow of nostalgia. I had spent two years of my late teens in Allahabad for my graduation from the famed Allahabad University and the book brought back many pleasant memories.

Allahabad used to be the intellectual capital of North India. One of the holiest cities of Hinduism because of the confluence of Ganges and Yamuna, it was an important regional capital during the Mughal era. The British made it the capital of the United Provinces. The capital was later moved to Lucknow, but Allahabad continued to retain important state level institutions, the most important of which is the High Court. Thanks to the High Court the city boasted of several distinguished families with generations of lawyers and judges. Many of these families were Kashmiris - the most famous being the Nehrus - who gave us three Prime Ministers, and hope to give us a fourth. Apart from the Nehrus there were the Saprus, the Katjus, the Kuzrus and many others. In addition to the bar and bench they distinguished themselves in civil service, sports, arts, literature and, above all, national politics. The period 1900 to 1960 can be said to be the golden age of Allahabad.

The author, born in the forties just before India gained independence, is the youngest of twelve siblings from a distinguished family of jurists, army officers, civil servants and business executives. His father rubbed shoulders with the greats of the golden era in the court and their house, a large and beautiful colonial bungalow, frequently hosted the greats of India's freedom movement, legal luminaries, sports stars and famed musicians. The atmosphere at home, vividly recreated by the author, combines the laid-back pace of an English country home with the intellectual ferment of a nineteenth century French salon. The huge household was served by an army of old faithful servants and a host of vendors who brought the daily needs to the doorstep. Many of these servants and vendors are described in loving detail by the author.

Times pass. Allahabad's golden age is long over. The city has lost importance to bigger places like Delhi. Some of the old world charm is there in patches, but most of the colonial bungalows have made way for ugly and haphazard modern constructions. Restaurants, bookshops, cinema halls, clubs that were institutions in themselves have died down. The city has lost both its idyllic bliss and intellectual ferment. Memory of the good times and regret at their passing is the theme of the book. The author himself moved out of Allahabad half a century back, but keeps going back there. Two elder brothers still live in the old family home 7-Elgin Road, which has fortunately survived the predatory appetite of real estate developers.

My own upbringing was nowhere as privileged as the author's, but there are many thing in the book that recalled my childhood and early youth. It has been a great nostalgic journey for me. My thanks to Gurjit Cheema for introducing me to this book. ...more

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Feb 12, 2019 Suvansit kumar jaiswal rated it it was amazing

Shelves: allahabad

'My Allahabad story' by Himendra Nath Verma

"Memories can be such powerful, precious possessions, and should be preserved for posterity, after all , histories are moulded from them."

This book is memoir of Allahabad in it's golden age of 40's 50's and great 60's although the author claimed this book covers accounts of his family stories but the book offer you much more than that,

The best thing it offer you along with its smooth writing and captivating humourous is a glimpse of bygone era of simpli ...more

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Apr 18, 2018 OvyReadz rated it liked it

My Allahabad Story is a biography that takes us on a beautiful nostalgic journey with the author, in one of India's prominent city, Allahabad.

It starts from 1946, where the author is not even 3 years old. The author narrates his first-hand experiences and few incidents that were narrated by his father and elder brothers over dining table conversations. From his schooldays to the time when he left Allahabad, the author gives a clear picture on the incidents he wishes to share with us and also men ...more

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