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Monday, March 21, 2016

A Timeless Tombstone - A Visit to the Taj Mahal

For Guruji Rabindranath Tagore, the Taj Mahal was a "teardrop on the cheek of time". However, a question that kept swirling in my mind as I went around the architectural wonder was "whose teardrops?" Were they the teardrops of a heartbroken king, accumulated over a decade, that resulted in this poetry in marble, or was it the teardrops of those thousands of labourers who worked to build this monument of their slavery? The Mughals and Marx frequently clashed in my mindscape as I inspected the hauntingly beautiful landscape as a part of the ordinary multitude.

It has been more than 5 years since I came to Delhi. However, circumstances had conspired so far to keep me from visiting this wonder of wonders which stands at a distance of only 3.5 hours from the capital. So, when I had to go to Vijaipur (my hometown) via bus because of the lack of train reservation, I made the most of the opportunity.

Here are some pictures from the visit.






P.S: What does it say about the fate of love in our times when all we care about is a 20 rupee ticket in the beginning and an ice-cream at the end? Where is the time for things such as reflection, commitment and poetry amid wailing children and scowling parents? :)

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