Sunday, August 14, 2011

THE TAJ MAHAL SPEAKS OUT

It was a hot summer night, moonless and dark. No breeze, no sounds except those of people squirming in bed like me.Just when it seemed that sleep had overtaken me, I awoke and envisioned a white spectre. An amoeba like thing, changing shapes. it made many frightening shapes at first, then took to dancing about, sometimes on the ground, sometimes in the air. it would come very near me and then dash off. as if sort of challenging me to catch it. i remained unmoved, watching fascinated though.
Soon it changed itself into a woman, white, curves all over,shining with jewels and she spoke.

" Spook ", I said, staring at it squarely in the face.
" I am no spook ", she said.
" Spook or not, you are not human "
" You are right there, I am not a human ", she agreed.
" Who or rather what are you ! then ?"

" I am what you know as the TAJ MAHAL ".
" You mean Mumtajmahal, emperor Shahjehan's royal consort ?"
" No 1 No ! she is my daughter".
" Then, you are an Iranian "


" No. I am a Rajasthani. it appears, young man, you have not understood me. Look at the name of Mumtajmahal. She is the one whose Mum is Tajmahal. The child is back in my womb".

" Oh ! You mean, you are Tajmahal, the monument ! But then you are in Agra. How did you come here ? "

" I have not come here. I am still in Agra. All I have done is to emit some rays to touch your optical and auditory nerves. you are therefore able to see me in a form that is easily intelligible to you ".

" All right. You may be Taj Mahal or God almighty for all I care. Come to the point. What do you want from me ? "

" I understand that you work for a company that is building an oil refinery at Mathura "
I pleaded guilty. I knew what to expect. Pollution. Damage to the Taj. Stopping the refinery construction and eventual sacking me from my job. I steeled myself in anticipatory defence. No blows came, however.

' Relax, young man! I have read your mind. Your job is safe. You go ahead with your refinery ".

" Thank you, dear lady. but how are we to convince these pollution control people ? They are making such a big hue and cry '.

" Ignore them ".

It's all very well for you to say so. but this is a democracy. We can't very well ignore them. We have to convince them and the public. we have to take everyone along".

" That is precisely why I have come to you. You tell them on my behalf that i want this refinery thing to come up. Now let us begin at the beginning. Tell me, who built me ? "

" Shah Jehan, the Mogul Emperor ".

" How ignorant you are ! Shah Jehan was merely a tool. He was motivated to build me. It was I who built myself. I have the power to destroy myself and re-create myself in another form. I do it by motivating lesser folks like kings, emperors, corporates, architects, engineers and so on. Now I have started ageing and I need some - what you call them - vitamin shots. My origins are from this area which was once upon a time an ocean. As some of my body elements get worn off, I need their replacements. And they have to come from Rajasthan - as it was then or from areas now similar to Rajasthan as it was then. Your refinery will do just that. If you chaps think that you are building the refinery, you are mistaken. Like Shah Jehan, you too are merely my tools. What does that fellow Krishna say in the Gita - Nimitta. Yes, you are only a Nimitta, the destined one ".

" I can very readily and somewhat eagerly understand your message since it could save me my job but what about the critics, the public ? After all, the refinery effluent might affect river life and the bird sanctuary".

' Now, who are these critics ? One is a fish-man, the other is a bird-man and the third is my make-up man, the one you know as the Archeological Survey chap. They owe their origin to fish, bird etc. By protesting against the refinery construction, they are merely being loyal to their species of origin as they existed when they became humans. They are not aware that the fish and the birds of today are a lot tougher than hitherto. They can take the refinery effluent in their stride of course after an initial period of some unsettled conditions. In any case, you are planning to treat the effluent so as to make it almost equal to normal water ".

" But what about this initial period ? Wouldn't the fish and the bird die during this time ? What about the bird sanctuary ? Would it not have to be shifted ? "

" well, they can migrate. Nature has therefore given them mobility. I, on the other hand, can not migrate. The birds, in any case, have any right to protest, considering that they have been defecating all over me for the last 300 years ! Would you not try to get a public convenience situated right next door to your home shifted away ? "

" Well, from what you tell me, the refinery effluent is some kind of a medicine for you even if it be poison for some other beings".

' That's right ! Don't you have a saying about one man's food being another man's poison ? "

" But what about these cancerous signs on your body ? There are reports about similar signs on European monuments too ! "

" My dear fellow ! These are mere side effects consequent to taking a rather strong medicine ".

" Then, you are quite sure that this refinery poses no threat to you and that in reality it is a boon ? "

" Of course, you talk of democracy and yet you seem to be ignorant of nature's democratic ways. If a thing happens, be sure that nature, with all its diversities, confusion, chaos and contradictions, willed it. The refinery is happening. Therefore it is right. Now, you had better straightaway convey my message to all concerned, or else, I shall take you apart limb by limb and re-create you ' she said menacingly before disappearing.

Not being in a particular hurry to be re-created, I am complying with Madame Taj Mahal's desire.

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