May

18

Mudslinging the Taj Mahal, literally!

May 18, 2007 posted by indiatime |

The Archeological Survey of India has proposed that Taj Mahal get a mudpack facelift. The air pollution monitoring lab has been reporting that the beautiful monument in Agra is consistently exposed to unsually high level of industrial and environmental pollution, and our sincere attempts to combat that air pollution have been failing, at best.

So what’s the mudpack treatment that the experts are recommeding? For 2-3 months, Taj Mahal will be covered with a lime-treated norh Indian-clay (multani mitti). The Multani mitti is rich in phyllosilicates and is a natural cleanser that can absorb toxins and greases. So this clay-treatment is akin to a non-abrasive bath for the 350-plus-year old building. The mud will have to be put manually and will have to dry before it can be removed. Authorities are also banking on some help from the monsoon to wash off any superficial dust particles on the surface of Taj.

So if this proposal gets the stamp of approval, the Taj Mahal, for the next 3 months. will look like a pretty girl with a mudpack. Doesn’t sound very attractive, but it is hoped that the facial treatment will protect the immortal beauty of this monument for a few more months.

I have a proposal and it will help the mud-smearing campaign as well as raise a lot of money in the process, money that can be put to good use. This current treatment will cost upto a crore of rupees, and to keep this an ongoing fundraising effort, Indian government should declare a month-long Taj festival that will attract tourists from all over India and the rest of the planet.

Instead of charging the normal ticket price, the entry fee for such a festival will be much higher. But everyone who pays that hefty fee, will get to throw mud at the Taj Mahal. The government won’t have to pay for hundreds of workers to get the mudpacking done. And for the twisted amongst us (and I know there are a lot of you lurking around), this is a great opportunity to act out your anger and also preserve the most beautiful monument that was ever built on planet earth.

Yeah, pay money and throw mud at the Taj! And if this is successful, then it can be extended to other monuments, government buildings, police stations, statues, political party offices, and what not. Eventually this could become another version of our festival of holi (festival of throwing mud and color at people). I think it is a good idea.


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1 Comment so far

  1. abhi on May 22, 2007 7:39 pm

    A good suggestion indeed… ;-)

    Liked your article and hence putting your article on my blog as well. Hope you dont have any problems with that.

    abhitaneja

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