Farzi Cafe Incident: When will Lucknow learn to party, responsibly?

An incident of violence, irresponsibility, moral misconduct and blatant disregard of COVID protocols at Lucknow's Summit Building on Saturday night raised the ever-persistent question yet again- When will people learn to party responsibly? A city that is famed across India and abroad for its tehzeeb and tameez, sheds off every bit of its identity when its youth indulges in, what should be, harmless parties.

Yes, we are addressing the incident that took place at Farzi Cafe in Lucknow on January 29, when pub guests engaged in a drunken brawl. While police personnel were deployed immediately to dissuade the tension, the damage was already done. As per reports, the Excise Department is now involved in the case and the FIR has been lodged against Farzi Cafe's manager and the guests involved. The case progress, thereby, circles to roundabout the same question, a rather rhetoric query - Who is to take responsibility for fully grown adults, partying in Lucknow?

The onus is on us!

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In a viral video that circulated across the internet on Saturday night, Lucknow's very own party hub at Summit Building and popular Farzi Cafe caught people's attention, for all the wrong reasons this time. As evident in the clip, a bunch of tipplers engaged in a drunken fight, while flouting COVID norms, rather violently at the renowned pub. Despite security cops on the ground, the situation escalated quickly, with people shouting abuses and throwing hands, dragging not only each other but also any civic sense to the ground.

The matter, police reports and other proceedings are in order at the Summit Building and Farzi Cafe has reportedly shut down until further notice. The Excise Department has further asked Farzi Cafe authorities to explain what spurred the scuffle on Saturday and why was it not controlled.

So let's put things into retrospect and try to figure out the same. Who is to teach the city dwellers to party? Is it the police? The management? Or is it the people, who have to take the onus of how they behave? Well, we think, the answer is clear. While it is essential to tackle such incidents, it is equally important to ensure that they don't happen, AT ALL. And the power to do this lies with only the public.

Knock Knock

While incidents of violence are not new at Summit Building, this account surely makes us wonder, if we'll let such fights become a new normal in Lucknow? When will this charade end and of course, when will Lucknow's people start living up to its name?

Take it as a wake-up call to discourage, dissuade and condemn all such activities, not only at Summit but across the city.