New Delhi, July 14 -- It was the Allahabad (present day Prayagraj) of the 20th century's "swinging sixties" decade. British rule had ended two decades ago, but in a city teeming with the old "gentry," the "colonial ways" were still visible. The Civil Lines observed the tradition of "lunch break," and in many shops, salesmen wearing ties could be found speaking in English.

The city was proud of its university, dubbed the "Oxford of the East," considered the essential first step towards cracking the civil services. The city was host to many poets and writers. Indira Gandhi, the prime minister of India, too was born in Allahabad.

The city had enough reasons to feel snooty and entitled.

In such an atmosphere, one day a city resident woke u...