Letters: Saving the Taj

This refers to Sunita Narain's column "The Taj puzzle" (Down to Earth, May 11). Shah Jahan's wife Mumtaz Mahal died in 1631. The emperor decided to create the Taj Mahal to pay homage to his wife. Little did he know back then that in the future, the monument that was built to commemorate his wife would be a world heritage site and the highest court in India would be bothering about how to protect it. It is said that Shah Jahan ordered the amputation of the hands of all the workers and artistes involved in the construction of this wonder to make sure that a second Taj Mahal was not built. Unfortunately, he did not do something to ensure that the colour of the expensive marble did not change.

It is tough to strike a balance between the need to industrialise and the need to sustain environmental well-being. It is not only the Taj, that needs to be protected. What about the poor and powerless human beings? Where do they go to ensure a day's meal? It is impossible to provide the bare minimum necessities to the poor, let alone industrialisation and growth.

Since the Taj cannot be shifted and the town of Agra - with its vehicles and people striving for existence - cannot be relocated, can we think of creating an impermeable shroud (may be a huge glass structure surrounding the Taj) to ensure that the monument of love is protected?

Ashok Chakrabarty Kolkata

Letters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:
The Editor, Business Standard
Nehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
New Delhi 110 002
Fax: (011) 23720201
E-mail: letters@bsmail.in
All letters must have a postal address and telephone number