Romance at the Taj

[sheherazade]

6 am and I'm at the entrance to the Taj Mahal. I join the foreigner's queue where I'll be paying through the nose for the privilege of seeing one of the wonders of the world. Two of the men hanging around(touts and such like) proceed to talk about me in Hindi. Isn't she Hindustani? I think she is says the other. She's in the wrong queue gasps the first. Still neither tries to talk me out of the queue. I buy my ticket and rush past the hanger-ons. I expect to see the Taj Mahal straightaway but there is a complex I have to go through first. I don't look around, I don't care much, I want to see the Taj.

 

And there it is. The Taj Mahal. I feel disoriented, am I in a picture, a post card? Was I standing looking at the Taj Mahal. I stop and stare. That big middle dome, those 4 minarets, the gardens and waters leading up to it; all so familiar and yet I'd never been there before. There is a feeling of personal ownership too, I want to breathe on that dome and shine it with my khameez-sleeve. I cast my eyes about and for the first time really notice the two sandstone structures on either side of the Taj Mahal. I take pictures from this angle and that, big Germans and little Japanese getting in the way.

 

I don't feel warmth towards the TM. I had been reading the history of the Mughals and was unimpressed with their debauched selves, however grand their escapades and their architectural structures were. Shah Jehan, the emperor who had built the TM had done it in memory of his second wife Arjumand Banu Begum. Aged 39 and in the ninth month of her 14th pregnancy she had accompanied him to crush some rebellion or other. She died in childbirth. She extracted 4 promises from him legend has it: to build a mausoleum in her name, to remarry, be kind to their children, to visit her on her death anniversary. He managed to keep promise 1 and 2. Shah Jehan, a womaniser and a cruel man also gave generously to the poor. To get to the throne he had murdered his own brothers. At some point two of his sons start to display sibling rivalry and seek to throw their poorly father off the throne- in keeping with tradition. One brother kills the other and has the dead brother's head delivered to the father, Shah Jehan. He then takes over the thrown, confines Shah Jehan to Agra Fort where he spends the next 8 years until his death.

 

The TM in the meantime had been completed. 22 years, 1000 elephants, craftsmen, masonries, calligraphers from Asia and even Europe had made a promise come true. The emperor's wife's remains finally after a couple of moves made it to her final earthly resting place in the centre lower chambers of the Taj in keeping with the strict symmetry of the Taj. The son decides to bury the emperor next to his beloved thereby ruining the perfection of the symmetry. The last laugh maybe. Legend also has it that Shah Jehan had merrily chopped off the arms of the craftsmen working on the Taj after its completion.

 

As I stood before the Taj I couldn't help feeling cynical. Romance? I couldn't get past the cruelty of the womanising, back-stabbing, murderous, ostentatious Mughals.

 

I walk down the gardens, past soldiers standing lazily, rifles(or whatever) by their sides. One barks at me: Ticket!! Natch. Me and my hijab-ed self. What could I have been hiding under it? Irritated, I start to pull the ticket out and he waves me away abruptly when he sees I have it. Thank you, *******, I cuss in Somali. Romance at the Taj.

 

Inside the dark and surprisingly small Taj, we circle the tombs. I find it particularly dull; we were circumnavigating the dead; it was a mausoleum. Period. I hear guides speaking Italian in an Indian accent, German in an Indian accent and English in an American accent. I stop to eavesdrop now and then but leave quickly, there’s an air of reverence which turns my stomach. Outside again and barefoot, I walk around the Taj and from there see the Yamuna(pathetically water-free), the banks of which the Taj is built on. I sit somewhere in disappointment after more picture snapping. I hadn’t been moved; sure it was aesthetically pleasing and an architectural wonder but it hadn’t done it for me. I wanted a refund.

 

I abandon the Taj and walk to the sandstone building on its right. I’m still barefoot, sandals hanging off two fingers. I reach it and can not believe what I see. The building is in a deplorable state, bat guano and pigeon splattering covered everything. I slip my sandals on and walk into the sulphurous air. There is another couple there. I wonder why they don’t take care of this place; it was part of the Taj Mahal. And what the hell was it? I give up but as I’m leaving I see a giant plaque, wordy and incomprehensible, I still can’t quite figure out the building’s original purpose. But then I’m surprised; it says the other sandstone structure to the left of the Taj was a mosque and was identical to this one except for the paraphernalia that would mark it as a mosque. I’m intrigued. Now we’re talking.

 

I almost run past the tourists and the soldiers(terrorist, terrorist!) and head east. A giant pool glimmering with water sits in front of the mosque. I want to take wudu but it isn’t exactly secluded. I throw my sandals off again and climb the steps. There is a smile trying to break free, I’m trying to look cool but I’m excited, I hadn’t known about this place and here I was. All the other tourists walk past with no interest, I have it to myself. I step in, feet cooling on the floor. I don’t know where to look, everywhere there is something to marvel at: Quranic verses, prayers mats marked out in black marble and the rhythmic swish-swish of an old man sweeping the floor. I must look enraptured, feeling history and the familiarity of the house of God. I am finally moved and I sniff. The old man walks up to me and greets me. He must be the caretaker. He speaks to me in Hindi and shows me around the Mosque, reads the intricate verses, some indecipherable until he starts reading them and the complex squiggles wiggle themselves into familiar verses. And I grin. My very own tour guide in a Mosque I never knew existed. He points to one section, where the women pray. I want to pray but there is no way of getting wudu. Stupidly it never occurs to me that a tourist destination might have public toilets. He tells me the Taj is closed on Fridays and the Muslims come to pray. I follow him in a trance for some minutes as he points to this and that. When he finally leaves to continue with his sweeping, he leaves me tingling with romance.

 

Oh, Ramadan Mubarak. Romance is in the air. Can you feel it?

[-Serenity-]

Nice one Sheh.

 

I went to India in '97.. Bombay (We stayed near the Taj Hotel and went on a boat ride to the Elephanta caves) to Bangalore (visited a few schools there as my parents were contemplating sending me to a boarding school ) to parts of Utter Pradesh. Loved the 'unity in diversity'.

 

When did you go there?

 

p.s. I dont feel the romance. Infact, I'm slighty worried about it.

[sheherazade]

7, I'm curious about your 'unity in diversity' comment. I know India likes to sell itself as a multi-faith cooperative society. My experience while there was different. The fact that I covered my head and so 'religiously' got on many nerves. Complete strangers said I should take it off!! Even on the morning of the visit to the Taj, the rickshaw guy said: Madam, this is India, you can take that off!!

 

The Hindus when I told them that I was a Muslim(as a quick answer) would nod and say yes we know. They didn't like seeing such an obvious admission of my faith. Period. I tried hard not to come to that conclusion but over and over it happened. I had white people hearing in on these conversations defending me. India tests your patience anyway and everywhere I went I was annoyed, irritated and sometimes intimidated(Musalmaan, they would whisper). Naively I had not expected such a response in India. I went to get away from that sort of response, you know. But everyhwere I go, there's my hijab.

 

The Muslims I talked to told me not to get hoodwinked into the one-India branding. I also read enough to fill my head up to the brink about India and its fascinting and horrifying history. By the morning of the Taj visit I was exhausted and jaded; the Mosque lifted my spirits.

 

I've found an article two days old reporting that the Imam of that Mosque still only gets paid Rs15- what was promised that Mosque's Imams 400 years ago. That's 19 pence/34 cents. Grr.

 

What romance are you worried about? Ramadan?

[sheherazade]

Taj Mahal Imam gets Mughal-era salary!

 

Old is gold? Certainly not for the Shahi Imam of Agra's Taj Mahal who is still being paid the same Rs 15 that his ancestors used to get during the reign of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

 

According to bureaucrats of the Archaeological Survey of India, present custodian of the world famous monument, they are bound only by the letter and not spirit of the Shahi Firman (Royal Decree) that says the Imam is entitled to 15 coins a month. Although the 15 asharfis of Shah Jahan's day have grown in value to around Rs 7000 now, the ASI shells out only 15 coins of Rs 1 each.

 

The present Shahi Imam Sadiq Ali insists he's grossly underpaid. His pittance of a salary doesn't even cover the cost of a rickshaw trip to the ASI office located 3 kms away from the mosque, complains Ali.

 

To add insult to injury, the Shahi Imam's assistant, who is a government employee, gets Rs 5000 every month. His boss however has to make do with the exact same number of coins that Shah Jahan paid centuries ago.

 

Despite the unsatisfactory employment conditions, the Shahi Imam can hardly go easy on his job. Besides leading the prayers five times a day as well as Friday noon prayers, he is also responsible for the upkeep of the mosque.

 

Ali is furious at the ASI for making mockery of the royal patronage that his predecessors once enjoyed. If he's still an employee of the Great Mughals, then why does the ASI bother to pay him a ridiculous salary at all, he fumes.

source

[-Serenity-]

Sheh, whenever I put something in quotation marks, there is a hint of sarcasm. LoL.

 

But, having studied in an Indian School, I can say from experience that I find Indians to be the most tolerant people in the world when it comes to faith. Its natural for Hindus to celebrate Eid and Christians to partake in Diwali and Muslims to sing Christmas carols on a regular basis…all in good faith and neighbourly courtesy. As you might be aware, Indians don’t particularly have a lot of single-faith schools and all their children attend schools where every faith is promoted and a lot of compromise goes on. It’s the ease with which all these faiths mingle in India that makes it ‘unity in diversity’. There are no religious wars, just minor conflicts. The operative word here is mainly tolerance and understanding, not necessarily acceptance. Also, on a general scale, I think Indians of all faiths are somewhat laxed about their religion and keep personal convictions as that.

 

p.s. Yes, its Ramadan I'm worried about. I'm feeling the pressure of final year and I can never study on an empty stomach. InshaAllah bikheyr laakiin.

 

p.p.s. Only in India @ the story.

[Caano Geel]

lol, aah india ...

sheh, last i was in india the closest i got to romance was a rickshaw driver whose hand somehow mysteriously seemed to end up trying itch its way up my leg!... considering how tactile the indians i met on the trains were, the first time i forgave it and assumed mistake, 'he must of been trying to pick up something from beside me', second time i warned him stop, third you jumped out of the moving vehicle into the road threatening to bunch the light outs of him ... those were the days ..

 

About the indian unity thing tho', i gotto agree with the 'ex-borg that sold her share of a soul to apple' on this, i dont think i've met a bunch of people that are so at ease about other peoples faiths, its all good as far their conserned it seems, but you gooto justify it.. as proved by many-a- random converstation that starts with, your name, what you do, and if your married.

 

the police rather than the soldiers were *** 's for me to'.

 

ps. were else have you been, do live there? i highly recond the north if u've not been, shimla and manali are very beautifull, i stayed in a little village near manali called vashisht spectacular view of the most stunning mountains i've ever seen, and the tastiest pancakes. also the deep south is very very nice, kerela is possibly the greenest place on the planet ..

anyhow fill us in on your adventures and enjoy

[Muhammad]

sheherazade

I know India likes to sell itself as a multi-faith cooperative society. My experience while there was different. The fact that I covered my head and so 'religiously' got on many nerves. Complete strangers said I should take it off!! Even on the morning of the visit to the Taj, the rickshaw guy said: Madam, this is India, you can take that off!!

thanks to the BJP's legacy, the India of Ghandi is gone.

[Caano Geel]

Originally posted by m u h a m m a d:

thanks to the BJP's legacy, the India of Ghandi is gone.

Thats not fully true, from my experience, idians are overly interfering in the ' we know whats good fro u' type a way thats very indeering rather than victimising. they just like to be involved. try to think of one country with so much religious variety that has the harmony o inida and i bet you wont find any!

 

Having spoken to the indian friends the apeal of the BJP is wailing and collision are very much limited, and not based on religion but politics disguised in religion. I mean look at the head of nuclear development in india, its a muslim guy!

 

I know a very intelligent BJP supporters and after many an argument, fraid i cant really say thats its got any thing to do with a 'hindustan' agenda. . at least with him anyway

 

p.s.

sheh, i just noticed, how the hell were u up at 6am?

[sheherazade]

When I remember India I smile and shiver by turns. LOL. They are nosey I can say that much with a certainty. I had to tell one guy to please stop asking me questions. By this time, I assure you I had been polite and cooperative for a long time until I suddenly realised I was talking about my brother in law and where he works and whether his wife works at the same place he does and whoa..The man got into a mood after that not saying anything at all. When I asked him a question he said: madam told me not to ask questions!!

 

Caano Geel, I couldn't live there. I would develop high blood pressure and permanently bulging forehead veins, not a good look. I did visit Manali; I was as sick as a dog by then, Delhi-belly be damned. I remember going into a bank one day- straight out of the 1950s to get some Rupees. I was passed from the teller to another to a desk to another, filling forms, finally ending up with somebody senior who had a buddy sitting next to him- a visitor. A cup of tea was in front of the visitor. I was offered one but I was too sick to contemplate it. After seeing my name on the paperwork, the senior bank man starts to recite Urdu poetry for me; the poem was peppered with my name. When he finished his visitor all the while Indian-nodding says, 'Vah Vah'. I smiled forgetting that I needed the toilet for a couple of minutes. U can't beat that- a serenade at the bank. That village you mention sounds familar but the whole area was stunning, very Heidi, don't you think?

 

I was at the Taj at 6 am. I was up way before, having showered, prayed and packed.

[Conspiracy]

India, I quite enjoyed my stay there but i didn't visit tourists attractions ,I spent most of my time at Andhra Pradesh , Hyderabad and you will surprised Microsoft is investing $400 million in Hyderabad,

 

For romance head to Pune/Puna a little town about 2 hours away from Bombay and oh my god its so beautifull and green, you see all those indian movies where they have the hero/heroine daydreaming singing and running towards each other through fields of flowers yeah thats where they shoot all those scenes @ Puna.....

[Muhammad]

Originally posted by Caano Geel:

Thats not fully true, from my experience, idians are overly interfering in the ' we know whats good fro u' type a way thats very indeering rather than victimising. they just like to be involved. try to think of one country with so much religious variety that has the harmony o inida and i bet you wont find any!

 

Having spoken to the indian friends the apeal of the BJP is wailing and collision are very much limited, and not based on religion but politics disguised in religion. I mean look at the head of nuclear development in india, its a muslim guy!

 

I know a very intelligent BJP supporters and after many an argument, fraid i cant really say thats its got any thing to do with a 'hindustan' agenda. . at least with him anyway [/QB]

point taken.

 

yet, India is a large country, with different economic levels. The majority of the people, some 85% of the population still live in rular areas, most of them below the poverty line.

 

this is where 'harmony' between groups isn't as good as those in Bangalore and Delhi would like you to believe.

 

they still practice the caste system in these areas. many people are treated like animals, even worst.

 

As for the BJP, these poor, rular communities were their back bones, when they were in power. They promised to revive the 'Hindustani' way of life and glory, by all means. infact 'Hinduism' as a ism is a new development, that didn't exist as religious unit until recently, with the new ideology of Sanatan Dharma (Eternal Way of Life), the BJP is taking advantage of.

 

In the State of Gujarat, we are all aware of what hapanned there, and the role the BJP played in the atrocities against the Muslims.

 

yet I agree, India has many faces, as Sheh said. Some pleasent, and some terrifying.

 

for example, the south, in the Tamil and Dravidian areas, they are very well educated and peaceful people.

[Gediid]

A very interesting post Sheh...

I found the part of the bank poet reciting poetry totally hilarious.....Vah Vah

[sheherazade]

Shukriya. Don't the Somalis say,'Waah Waah'?

 

Last night I went to bed feeling sorry for myself and was rewarded with violent dreams. I am running out of that beautiful thing called patience and am glad Ramadan is here to help me refocus and pray longer and offer thanks. I re-read what I wrote above and I'm struck by how blessed I have been. When things get bad I have a habit of re-reading old thoughts to help rebalance my negative view. I went in search of my old emails and found this one sent from Manali:

.....

Hi

Your very own email. Hehe. Sorry if your email is attached too; it just takes too long doing anything online up here in the Himalayan Ranges. Let me say that again...Himalayan Ranges..teehee.

 

So X knows about my bowel movements. Sh*t. Pun intended. He thinks I'm cuckoo enough, heyna? LOL.

 

It's lovely here. Today for the first time I woke up unburdened by memories or doubt. It was just perfect. I've finally relaxed and am enjoying myself. Hearing about work and ish sounds so alien. Work? What's that, pray tell?

 

U MUST DO THIS, Y. ABSOLUTELY MUST DO IT.

 

The change in environment is very liberating. Eventually the life you left behind fades- especially the ugly bits. I can't believe how I used to stress myself over things. The perspective is also great. Everything we moan about is still a blessing- work, education and our relationships. All provide some kind of nourishment. Poverty, illiteracy and destitution is rife here. I'm trying to bottle the humility, gratitude and empathy for when I'm back to 'normality' and start whinging. Perhaps I'll dig out these emails.

........

 

And so I have. Internal whinging STOPS. Alhamdullilah. Ramadan Mubarak. Count your belssings.

[NGONGE]

** Takes out Sitar **

 

** Sits crossed legged opposite Sheh **

 

** Clears throat and lets rip **

 

 

Kabhi kabhi mere dil main khayal aata hain

 

Ki zindagi teri zulfon ki narm chhaon main guzarne pati

 

To sadab ho bhi sakti thi

 

Yeh ranjho gham ki siyahi jo dil pe chhayi hain

 

Teri nazar ki suahon main kho bhi sakti thi

 

Magar yeh ho na saka,

Magar yeh ho na saka aur ab ye aalam hain

 

Ki tu nahin, tera gham, teri joostjoo bhi nahin

 

Guzar rahi hain kuchh iss tarah zindagi jaise, isse kisi ke sahare ki aarzoo bhi nahin

 

Na koi raah, na manzil, na roshni ka suragh

 

Bhatak rahin hai andheron main zindagi meri

 

Inhi andheron main reh jaonga kabhi kho kar

 

Main janta hoo meri hum-nafas, magar yoonhi

 

Kabhi kabhi mere dil main khayal aata hai

 

 

An Indian friend of mine gave this quick translation to this famous Ghazal:

 

Often, thought comes in my heart

 

if i have life under the shadow of your hair

it would have been more peacefull

the ink of pain and sorrow on my heart

could've been lost in your eyes,

but it didn't happen!

 

but it didn't happen, now life is on verge

 

that i don't have you, nor sorrow neither hopes!

 

living life without any support/landing hand

 

no road, no goal, nor way to see light,

my life is travelling in darkness.

 

i'm to be lost in darkness someday

i know it's my love of life, but....

 

often, thought comes in my heart

 

:cool:

 

 

I could smell the TATA oil on this thread and this is why I decided to post this poem here (it’s also a famous song - as if!). Somehow, I have a feeling that many (as in: more than one) Nomads understand the words with no need for any translation.

 

 

Hope you enjoyed it, meri jalebi

 

 

 

This is all you (urdu speakers) are getting from me for Eid.

[sheherazade]

Vah vah.