Wajid Ali Shah's Great-Great-Grandson Shahanshah Mirza on the Last Nawab of Awadh

Wajid Ali Shah's Great-Great-Grandson Shahanshah Mirza on the Last Nawab of Awadh . Most people know Wajid Ali Shah for putting the potato in Kolkata biryani. That is the smallest thing he left behind. In this Saturday Spotlight session, Vipul B. Varshney speaks with Shahanshah Mirza, the great-great-grandson of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, about the last King of Awadh and what he actually did to Bengal. He brought Urdu with him. He brought kite flying and courtly sport, and a whole culinary tradition. In Metiabruz he built what amounted to a second Lucknow, with its customs, its architecture including the Sibtainabad Imambara, and its language intact. The tailoring he introduced, the sherwani, the gharara, the kurta pajama, seeded what grew into Asia's largest unbranded garment industry, still working in Metiabruz today. Shahanshah Mirza also corrects the story most people were taught. The Nawab was not exiled to Kolkata. He travelled there himself, after the annexation of Awadh under Lord Dalhousie, to seek justice from the Governor General, and General Outram opposed the move before Lord Canning received him. Then the part that is hard to hear. His mother Malika Kishwar, his brother and his son Prince Hamid Ali Bahadur sailed to England to put his case to Queen Victoria. His mother and brother both died abroad. She is buried in Père Lachaise in Paris. . Chapters: 00:00:00 Welcome to Lucknow: A Royal Intro 00:01:05 Beyond Biryani: The Nawab’s Real Legacy 00:01:43 How Urdu & Kite-Flying Reached Bengal 00:02:10 Building "Mini Lucknow" in Kolkata 00:02:24 The Birth of Asia's Largest Fashion Hub 00:02:50 Culinary Classics: Kebabs, Nihari & More 00:03:21 Why the Nawab Chose Kolkata (Not Exile!) 00:04:16 Seeking Justice from the British Queen 00:05:08 The 1857 Uprising & Lost Hopes 00:05:43 A Family Tragedy: The Final Days . About Jashn-e-Rekhta Jashn-e-Rekhta is the world’s largest cultural festival celebrating the beauty, depth, and living spirit of the Urdu language. Held annually, it brings together poets, musicians, writers, thinkers, and artists from across the world to create a space of poetry, music, conversations, and storytelling. From soul-stirring mushairas and spellbinding musical evenings to intimate dialogues and immersive cultural experiences, the festival is where language turns into emotion and heritage finds a contemporary voice. More than a festival, Jashn-e-Rekhta is a movement that keeps Urdu alive, relevant, and deeply connected across generations. . #wajidalishah #awadh #lucknowhistory #metiabruz #indianhistory #shahanshahmirza #urduculture . About Rekhta Foundation: Rekhta Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation committed to preserving, promoting, and celebrating the Urdu language and its rich literary and cultural legacy. Through digital archives, learning platforms, publications, festivals, and community initiatives, the Foundation works to make Urdu accessible and meaningful for audiences worldwide. By bridging classical traditions with modern platforms and voices, Rekhta Foundation ensures that the language continues to inspire, connect, and evolve with time. . IMPORTANT COPYRIGHT NOTICE © Rekhta Foundation. All rights reserved. Unauthorised downloading, clipping, re-uploading, or reuse of this content (audio/video/visuals) is strictly prohibited without written permission. . External Links: Website: https://rekhta.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jashnerekhtaofficial/ Rekhta Books: https://rekhtabooks.com/ Rekhta Learning: https://rekhtalearning.com/