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Journalism of Courage
The moon has barely begun its slow march across the sky but the anticipation of tourists here is already shining through.
Cleared by the Supreme Court this week, the Taj Mahal’s doors were opened after 20 years today to let visitors see what Shah Jahan’s marble tribute to love looks like—when the sun isn’t there.
Among those who watched this white on white was Switzerland’s Defence Minister Samuel Schmid. ‘‘It is a wonderful moment. Even in the dark, the Taj shows us secrets of art and love,’’ he told The Sunday Express.
For Meeta Mehta, from Delhi with her six Japanese colleagues, the haze was clearer than the moon. ‘‘The moonlight didn’t do any favour to the monument,’’ she said.
But once it did. Especially at Mehtab Bagh, across the quiet Dasehra Ghat nearby, where a pool used to throw up a reflection of the Taj on moon-drenched nights. Today, the pool is gone, and it’s the Bagh’s quivering image that can be seen in the shallow Yamuna waters.
At the Dau Ji temple on the Dasehra Ghat, the regular priest is ill and 68-year-old shopkeeper Ramesh Chand has filled in. He remembers the free-entry nights before the terror in Punjab blanked them out.
‘‘It’s been more than 20 years since I went in at night. But now you can’t go beyond the red sandstone platform. The real beauty is to see the way the jewels and stones in the white marble light up in the moonlight,’’ said Chand.
A group of policemen, within hearing distance, nod in agreement. Security has been tight for the past two to three days. Nearly 150 PAC and UP policemen have been posted around the Taj; over 100 CISF men are inside.
Besides, all shops around the monument were shut today before 7.30 pm, leaving many traders disappointed.
The other lot left out of this lunar feast are the guides. Kunwar Hashmat, an Islamic history graduate and a guide here for 33 years, counts the Sultan of Brunei among the VVIPs he has shown around the global symbol of love. ‘‘I said to the Sultan that you have so many riches. He replied, ‘in front of Shah Jahan I am just a fakir’.’’ On his tribe being shut out on such an important day, Hashmat says, ‘‘Security is needed but it shouldn’t be like a curfew.’’
For those who can’t go in, there are always vantage points from where the Taj can spring up in silver light.
From the sloping lawns of the UP Government-run Taj Khema, the monument rises in silhouetted splendour. It’s a sight that was much admired by former US President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea in 2000—the hotel reception proudly displays their framed comments and photographs. ‘‘Foreigners come here and spend the whole night lying on the lawns, just gazing at the Taj in moonlight,’’ says Subhash Prasad at the front desk. ‘‘Initially, I too used to be excited but that’s worn off now.’’
The UP government has packaged the new experience as part of its celebrations to mark 350 years of the Taj; tickets cost Rs 510 for Indians and Rs 750 for foreigners. And, only 400 visitors will be let in every night. As per the SC order, over 90 days, the Taj will be open for five nights a month.
