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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF : Aroon Purie
GROUP EDITORIAL DIRECTOR : Raj Chengappa EDITOR : Ajit Kumar Jha ( Research ) GROUP CREATIVE EDITOR : Nilanjan Das ; GROUP PHOTO EDITOR : Bandeep Singh MANAGING EDITORS : Kai Jabir Friese , Rajesh Jha EXECUTIVE EDITORS : Damayanti Datta , S . Sahaya Ranjit , Sandeep Unnithan DEPUTY EDITORS : Prachi Bhuchar , Uday Mahurkar , Manisha Saroop Mumbai : M . G . Arun Hyderabad : Amarnath K . Menon Chandigarh : Asit Jolly
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Volume XLIII Number 31 ; For the week July 24-30 , 2018 , published on every Friday
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FROM THE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore once described the Taj Mahal as a ‘ teardrop ’, glistening ‘ spotlessly bright on the cheek of time , forever and ever ’. The only tears being shed these days are about the state of the Taj .
To quote from what M . C . Mehta , a long-time crusader for what is arguably the world ’ s most beautiful building , recently told the Supreme Court : the upkeep of Taj is in a shambles . Cracks are appearing in the structure . The minarets are tilting . Stones and materials are falling off . Acute water and air pollution are changing the colour of the marble , from light yellow to brown . Illegal encroachments , industries and activities are mushrooming in the vicinity , the CCTVs do not work , all the drains around the site are clogged . And the Yamuna , which cradles the Taj , is dying , putting at risk the foundation of the mausoleum . Hordes of insects flying out of the river are soiling the monument . A poem in stone , it seems , has now turned into a hive of ailments .
“ You can shut down the Taj . You can demolish it , if you like . You can also do away it .” This anguished cry from the bench hearing Mehta ’ s petition sums up the exasperation with which even the apex court regards the state of what is widely seen as one of the ‘ wonders of the world ’.
Other famous monuments elsewhere in the world have faced similar conservation challenges . The Colosseum in Rome emerged only rec ently from a three-year restoration , its walls scrubbed clean of the soot from city traffic .
UNESCO , which monitors world heritage sites like the Taj , recommends the implementation of ‘ an integrated management plan to ensure that the property maintains the existing conditions , particularly in the light of significant pressures derived from visitation that will need to be adequately managed ’. It ’ s a suggestion that need serious study .
The Taj ’ s troubles , however , go far beyond just its neglect . They are a disturbing metaphor for our sustained disregard for our environment and heritage . The Taj also represents our inability to monetise our vast , untapped tourism potential . India
attracted 10 million tourists last year . Singapore , which has nothing on the scale of a Taj , attracted 17 million .
Our cover story in this special issue is ‘ Save the Taj ’, put together by Executive Editor Damayanti Datta , who takes a comprehensive look at the issues bedevilling the marble mausoleum — abysmal waste disposal , pollution , pests and overcrowding , all of them corroding this crown jewel . It ’ s a sad tale of blunders , lethargy , neglect , criminal mismanagement , myopic vision and just plain apathy . Here is a monument so conjoined in the collective memory of the world with India . So often when you tell someone you are from India , the next thing they say is ‘ Taj Mahal ’. The Taj has survived the many rulers of India , natural disasters
Group Photo Editor Bandeep Singh with Executive Editor Damayanti Datta at the Taj
and wars for 370 years . How can we let this Wonder of the World deteriorate into one more dilapidated Indian monument ? I have visited the Taj dozens of times and each time it takes my breath away . We can ’ t be the generation that let the beauty of this great monument be destroyed .
Beginning this week , the India Today Group will launch a # SaveTheTaj campaign across all its platforms .
Each week , we will highlight one aspect of the problem . I urge you all to join our campaign and send in your ideas on how we can protect this magnificent structure .
It ’ s a legacy we must preserve . If we don ’ t , the world won ’ t forgive us .
( Aroon Purie )
JULY 30 , 2018 INDIA TODAY 1