Hawai Jahaz Kothi

 Hawai Jahaz Kothi

Lucknow is a place full of culture and history. It has old buildings from a long time ago, which are still standing strong and remind us of our past. But Lucknow isn't just about old buildings. Some new offices and homes show how modern it is becoming. And right in the middle of all these old and new buildings, there's a really special house. It has an airplane on its roof! It's called the Hawai Jahaz Kothi.

This unique residential house stands on the main road, 28, Subhash Marg, Lucknow. It captures the attention of both the young and the old with its unique presence. The idea behind this concept of house design belongs to Late. Madhuri Sharan Rastogi, who commissioned this work in 1955, The house was completed in three years, but unfortunately, he did not live long enough to enjoy the pleasure of living in this house. Currently, the fourth generation of the family is living in the house. Currently, the house is divided among three brothers, each living on each floor. Current residents recall that their great-grandfather wanted to give the message to theirchildren via such a design. They wanted their children to soar high, fly high in the sky, and achieve great heights just like the airplane.

The house does not just have the model of an airplane on the roof. The airplane structure can accommodate a group of 20 to 25 individuals inside the construction. The structure is properly ventilated and one will not feel suffocated. The structure is, of course, way ahead of time. The current resident recalls that earlier the model had metal propellers that were connected to motors via rope, and one could start motors using propellers. But the building has undergone some restoration since it was first built.

The latest restoration happened in 2015. Painting just the front end of the airplane design would alone cost 3 lakh Indian rupees. Due to time, many small to big changes happened in the house like the rooms were resized and modernized, the iconic ‘gol again was demolished, and the garden in the front was demolished. But there were no changes, whatever happened in the back of the building. One of the key changes in airplanes is the replacement of metal propellers with wooden propellers.

It’s safe to say that the late Madhuri Sharan ji had some unique ideas for a house and wanted to stand out with those ideas. He wanted their children and the coming generation to remember the fact that they could achieve high dreams and fly higher in the sky.

Anyone passing through that street, even in 2023, 68 years after the start of the construction, will be awestruck. They will stop moving and capture this beauty in their eyes at the moment and also on their phones. To date, this unique structure stands alone; there are no replicas found anywhere, and it is truly a

remarkable landmark for Lucknow.