Kanpur raised us in ways we didn't fully appreciate until we left, or grew up. Life here just moved, naturally, routinely, without anyone pointing out how good it was. And it was good. You realise that later, usually when something small catches you off guard and takes you straight back. Ask any Kanpur kid and they'll know exactly what this is about. This one's for all of us.

Ask any Kanpur kid and they'll tell you, growing up here had its own flavour. Literally. Baraf golas, imli, soya puffs, ice creams outside Jaipuria, PVN, DPS, Singhania, Goenka, Jain International, the schools were different but the experience? Almost identical. Some things you just can't forget.

Didn't matter which school you went to, coaching class was the great equaliser. GD Verma in Kaka Deo, Riser Academy at Rupam Chauraha, Crux Academy, half of Kanpur's students ended up in the same batch at some point. New friends, same pressure, and somehow the same notes being passed around.

School picnic meant one of three places, Nana Rao Park, Kanpur Zoo, or Moti Jheel. Every single time. The route changed, the class changed, but the destination somehow never did. Packed lunch in a tiffin, running around with friends, and completely ignoring whatever the teachers were saying. Genuinely one of the better days of the year.

Growing up in Kanpur meant your film plans evolved with the city. From the old days of Heer Palace, Gurdev Palace, Shyam and Lal Palace, Movietime Himachal Talkies, to Rave 3 becoming the go-to for every occasion. The theatres changed, the popcorn prices went up, but the feeling of a good movie day never did.

Bag down, shoes off, TV on, in that exact order. Cartoon Network was non-negotiable after school. Tom & Jerry, Chip 'n Dale, Scooby-Doo, Johnny Bravo, Powerpuff Girls, Looney Tunes, Aladdin, Mowgli, Batman, Spiderman, Donald Duck, The Ghostbusters, the line-up was always stacked. Homework could wait. This absolutely could not.

Cricket stopped when the sun went down, not a moment before. And on days there wasn't a match, cycles came out and the colony loop became the whole world. Hours outside, completely unsupervised, completely unbothered. Every Kanpur kid had this version of an evening and most of them miss it.

Every Kanpur kid had their circuit, chaat at Naveen Market, Chung Fa when the Chinese craving hit, Baba Biryani on a hungry day, Thaggu Ke Laddoo just because, Aromas for burgers, and Makhan Malai from the roadside cart in winter. Same places, same friends, different excuses to go. The food never needed a reason though.

Some of the best family time happened in the most ordinary way, a shopping run through Sisamau Bazaar, Birhana Road, Beconganj, Parade Market, Naveen Market, Bijli Bazaar. Mum knowing every shopkeeper, dad bargaining like it was a sport, and you just tagging along. Felt routine back then. Feels like a memory worth keeping now.

Sunday mornings in Kanpur had a rhythm, and it almost always started with jalebi and chai. Hot, crispy jalebis straight from the kadhai, tea on the side, the whole family sitting together with nowhere to be. No alarms, no rush. Just that one slow morning every week that everyone quietly looked forward to.