The diverse cultural facets of the city are presented in the words of writers who know Allahabad intimately. A city with a Buddhist past, a Hindu identity, an Islamic heritage, and a Christian presence, Allahabad was a highly, active power centre during the freedom struggle and produced political leaders, lawyers, civil servants, and intellectuals in its heyday. Contemporary Allahabad retains the best of the old and is selectively absorbing the new.
Neelum Saran Gour is Professor of English at the University of Allahabad, and the author of many works of fiction. She was writer-in-residence at the University of Kent, UK, and at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.