Vasu Reddy from Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com
Over the Labor Day weekend some of my readers asked me to write about romance or love. As a coincidence I was looking at an article celebrating the 350th anniversary of the Taj Mahal. It is difficult to write about love, as it is an individual emotion. It is not possible to feel how someone else responds to love. The guys think it worthwhile to reflect on love in general.
One of the guys tells me over a cup of coffee that today people have no time to romance, as everyone is busy. While simply listening, I did assure them that as the Taj is getting a possible anniversary from the Indian politicians, it is a good time to make love a public debate, specially when folks feel that the concept of love has changed.
Is it different today to be in love? Love is not a group feeling as it is individual, and I don’t have a generic answer expect reflect on the Taj Mahal first. Every time I went to see the Taj Mahal it was beautiful. I saw it at night, early in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening during various trips. Many of my friends who went to India with me were always interested in seeing the Taj Mahal and I was always happy to do this. Everyone who saw it constantly was amazed at the beauty and the story behind the mausoleum. At times my non-Indian colleagues were amazed that love has such wonderful significance in the Indian history. We sure do. All of us are familiar with many famous love stories are well aware of the sad ending of each of them. Perhaps what makes them memorable is the tragedy associated with them. Most of our greatest stories and movies and plays are of unfulfilled love. Remember how many times they made Devdas as a movie? Remembering the Taj Mahal is simple as it is memorialized in every aspect of India’s culture and history as ultimate symbol of love.
The Taj Mahal is perhaps the greatest monument built in remembrance of a loved one. The monument celebrates its 350th anniversary this month. The Taj Mahal was completed on September 27, 1654. It is also believed that over 20,000 artisans who worked to build the Taj Mahal and they were all killed so that they could not build another monument that parallels the Taj Mahal. Heart-broken Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved second wife who died during childbirth built the Taj Mahal.
Arjumand Banu Begam better known by her other name, Mumtaz Mahal was married to Shah Jehan in 1612 that was then Prince Khurram. Shah Jehan was the fifth Mughal emperor. This marriage was the emperor's second was a real love-match. Mumtaz was her husband's inseparable companion on all his journeys and military expeditions. She was his comrade, his counsellor, and inspired him to acts of charity and benevolence towards the weak and the needy. She bore him fourteen children, and died in childbed in 1630 in Burhanpur in the Deccan where she had accompanied him on a military campaign. Overpowered by grief, Shah Jehan was determined to perpetuate her memory for immortality and decided to build his beloved wife the finest sepulcher ever - a monument of eternal love. It was Shah Jehan's everlasting love for Mumtaz that led to the genesis of the Taj Mahal. The sad circumstances that attended the early death of the empress who had endeared herself to the people inspired all his subjects to join in the emperor's pious intentions. After twenty-two laborious years, and the combined effort of over twenty thousand workmen and master craftsmen, the complex was finally completed in 1648 on the banks on the river Yamuna in Agra, the capital of Mughal monarchs. The origin of the name the "Taj Mahal" is not clear. Court histories from Shah Jehan's reign only call it the rauza (tomb) of Mumtaz Mahal. It is generally believed that "Taj Mahal" (usually translated as either "Crown Palace" or "Crown of the Palace") is an abbreviated version of her name, Mumtaz Mahal (Exalted One of the Palace).
Indian state authorities are planning a huge celebration on September 27th to mark the 350th anniversary of the Taj Mahal. The politicians celebrating Taj Mahal is both an excellent political move and also an ode to love. Readers need to make their own reflections on what it means.
Coming back to new age love and having things different today is not for debate. It is individual. Love is neither old fashioned or of a latest model. Each person makes personal choices on what it means and how to deal with it. Most of the irony is in what to expect from it and how to deal with failure. Even dealing with failure is individual and no textbook approach to how to deal with it. Knowing the health hazard of excessive drinking and smoking or growing a beard (all associated with miserable and failed men in love) is novel to see on celluloid. How many of us can really afford to build a Taj Mahal for the person we truly love? So, I for one will let love remain individual and not offer perspective. While I respond to my coffee and reader friends request to romanticize the weekly column (at least for this week), I will pay tribute to Mumtaz Mahal. For centuries she and her emperor have memorialized love and they will for sure for centuries to come. I am sure hoping the Indian politicians will celebrate the 350th anniversary of the Taj Mahal and every future anniversary. It will be wonderful to celebrate such simple human emotion “LOVE”.
Love doesn’t have to be sad and it still can be memorable. Love is simple and I don’t believe it changes with time. An individual’s heart is the greatest monument that was created by god, although we pay respect to the Taj Mahal as the greatest monument ever built because of love. I know for sure I will be going back to visit the Taj Mahal as often as possible.
Sources: Internet for information on the Taj Mahal, and my coffee friends for asking to write about love.
