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Wah Taj!!!

Agra happened to be the first stop in our itinerary. As usual, the tourism made hasty arrangements for accommodation as they felt that it was meant only to be a refreshment room. Our problems didn’t end there. There was this wily old sardar who wanted us to make a payment of Rs.50000 for bus permits etc. After a lot of negotiations, a consensus was reached and we were all set to visit the Taj.

Agra, to me, came across as a city that has not lost its old world charm, the moghul archways and walls in their various stages of degradation made me believe as if I were exploring the fourth dimension. After someone promised us a smaller queue if we paid 50 rupees for the entire group, we headed towards the Wonder through the narrow streets of the ancient city. A few metal detectors later we underwent a bit of frisking and checking, and finally we were allowed inside the building. It seemed like an entirely new world with all the beautifully maintained gardens and exquisitely architected buildings. And there she was, the eternal symbol of love, the epitome of Indian craftsmanship, Yes I was now head to head with the Taj. With the mighty domes and extraordinarily tall minarets, the Taj showed my digicam the purpose of its manufacture. The delicate artwork on the walls with multicolored stones sourced from all round the globe was just a delight to watch. The Fort, on the other side of the huge but not necessarily beautiful Yamuna, was equally eye-catching.

Despite all this grandeur, the city has its own share of problems. One of the biggest rivers of the country flows through the city and yet there is a serious shortage of good drinking water. Only mineral water comes to the refuge of the thirsty traveler. I had water from the hotel we lived, the hotel we dined, the Taj and the railway station and none of these tasted like they ought to have been. As a result, along with fond memories of the Taj, I had to leave Agra with a throat infection.

I’ll end this with a brilliant idea for budding entrepreneurs…Sell water around the Taj, you’ll make a roaring business.

posted by bragey @ 9:05 AM