Skip to main content

Would Taj Mahal's splendor and glory meet the fate similar to the traumatic demolition of Babri Masjid?

By Adv Masood Peshimam
Former American President Bill Clinton while sighting the Taj Mahal erupted in joy and amazingly said that he has classified the world into two categories as those who have seen Taj Mahal and those who have not seen Taj Mahal. This was the statement of the most powerful President of the most powerful nation. Such was the statement of a person whose country has made the tremendous strides in science and technology.
Notwithstanding the wealth of charm and beauty of Taj Mahal, there are forces in our country who are not prepared to tolerate any accomplishment or marvel associated with Muslims, sensing a semblance of slavery and treachery.
Attuned to this tendency came the statement of BJP leader Sangeet Som, known for his inflammatory speeches and accused of instigating the deadly Muzaffarnagar riots in 2013.
He has no compunction in telling that Taj was the blot in history and needs to be erased. The world is looking at the Taj Mahal as the monument embellished with glory and pride, but Sangeet Som has some different music to play. The prevailing climate of opinion attuned to judging things in a prejudiced way and with a myopic vision is to promote hatred and hostility against Muslims based on intellectual terrorism.
The very purpose of the provocative statements is to polarize the society which would help in establishing the political sway of BJP. The muddied waters raises the question: Would the monument resplendent with splendor and glory meet the fate the traumatic demolished Babri Masjid?
What is no less disgusting is the fact that Taj Mahal is managed by the UP government and the architecture is within the ambit of legality and tourists keep swelling making the UP government earn a large chunk of money. Any criticism of Taj Mahal is terribly misplaced and highly improper, that too from a BJP MLA whose party is governing the state.
While targeting Taj Mahal as the memory of traitors, Sangeet Som said that Shahjahan who built the 17th century mausoleum in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal had jailed his father and wanted to wipe out Hindus. Misquoting history in such a brazen fashion reflects on the quality of the knowledge of the BJP leader. The ignominious ignorance of the BJP leader about the very much known historical incidents suggests the need of the BJP leader to study seriously before making startling revelation.
Sangeet Som’s allegation that Mughals were out to wipe out Hindus is the product of his fertile imagination and virtual falsehood. Mughal rulers were not the religious breed. Instead, the Mughal rulers shared quite cordial relations with Hindus, particularly Rajputs. A lot of Rajputs enjoyed key positions in the Mughal administration unlike the present day communalists who, despite the tall talk of equality and secular values, can’t tolerate a Muslim peon.
In the present environment with the inherent bias every effort is made to see that Muslims do not get an outlet for the manifestation of their talents. There is no need to kill the talented person. The denial of opportunity to the talented person would eventually suffocate him to the death unsung and unwept.
The BJP stalwart, while targeting the splendorous monument as a blot on history, also lashed out at Muslim rule in India as “barbaric and a period of incomparable intolerance”. Before castigating the Muslim rule in India as “barbaric and the period of incomparable intolerance” it would have been better if the BJP had considered the prevailing alarming situation in the country where there is sustained campaign of violence against Muslims in the name of cow protection. The worst irony is that those attacked are booked and prosecuted.
The massive wave of violence is swelling leaps and bounds without any restraint or accountability. Is it no barbarism and incomparable in toleration to kill and maim the innocents and disrupt their families, sometimes in the name of cow protection or combating terrorism or on some other pretexts?
The communal forces have to some extent succeeded in proliferating the anti-Muslim psyche and given this situation it is not difficult to understand the plight of a common and poor Muslims at the hands of those equipped with unlimited power. Is it not a travesty of justice to victimize the innocents, and sometimes the criminal conduct is justified on one pretext or the other.
The controversy over Taj has further expanded with certain forces trying to paint Taj as a Hindu monument without giving thought to the fact that one of the cardinal beauties of the magnificent monument is inscription of Quranic calligraphy on the glorious architecture and there is the existence of the mosque in Taj.
Sangeet Som while dictating his communal agenda at least agreed that it was built by Shahjahan.
Taj Mahal is the symbol of love and affection and placing it in the communal context is uncalled for.
The theories that Taj Mahal was built by non-Muslims are set afloat as part of a conspiracy to lower the morale of the Muslims and penetrate inferiority complex in the community. Such obnoxious efforts are aimed at perpetuating the slavish mentality in the beleaguered community. Such biased approach being implemented aggressively is not limited to Taj Mahal but other monuments or places of worship also could not escape such communal influences which weaken or diminish their Muslim flavor or affiliation.
Muslims in India are too weak to resist such arm twisting. Either Muslim creations are tried to be snuffed out or their essence is changed to some other flavor.
Reacting to Sangeet Som’s derogatory comments over Taj Mahal and Mughals, three time Hydrabad MP AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi lashed out at BJP after its legislator Sangeet Som called Taj Mahal a blot on Indian culture built by “traitors”. Condemning Som’s statement, Owaisi said, “If what Som says is true then why did Modi hoist the national flag at Red Fort since it was also built by traitors?”
Describing the BJP man’s comments as uneducated and unfortunate, he said the PM hosted former U.S President Barrack Obama at the Hyderabad house which was also constructed by a traitor.
Owaisi is the only Muslim leader who resists and replies the calumny and disinformation campaign against Muslims. He has emerged as the leader who quickly and effectively responds to the Muslim bashing. His views are shared by the national and international media. He is the only cock in the farmyard. It’s not understood as to why the entire Muslim or secular leadership is sleeping over the distorted pieces of information except a person or two.
In the absence of intellectual combat the anti-Muslim discourse gets one sided and it’s easy to tarnish the image of the community and none sheds tears over the victimization of the defamed community. There is sinister design to hate Muslim campaign.
The BJP tried to maintain distance from the provocative statements of Sangeet Som which is a cosmetic exercise. Distancing from the provocative statements woefully lacks the credible narrative.
It is the absence of any restraining influence by the party over the inflammatory utterances by BJP men which made the deputy CM of UP Dinesh Sharma define Mughals as looters.
Sharma while branding Mughals as looters bypassed the fact that concept of loot implies someone decamping or running away with the booty. In contrast the Mughals not only remained attached to this soil but also made significant contribution to the socio-cultural development of the land. In their quest to enrich the soil the Mughals created the wonders like Taj Mahal so on and so forth.
Whatever comments Sangeet Som or Dinesh Sharma make the fact remains that they are only worth rebuke and derision at large? Only gullible can be fooled.
Such firework is only aimed to divert the attention from the dismal failure of the BJP government whose sheen appears to be wearing off. It is in the national interest with the plural society to ban such fire work before it is too late. Any delay in banning or restraining such firework would only be catastrophic.

Comments

TRENDING

'Draconian' Kerala health law follows WHO diktat: Govt readies to take harsh measures

By Dr Maya Valecha*  The Governor of Kerala has signed the Kerala Public Health Bill, which essentially reverses the people’s campaign in healthcare services in Kerala for decentralisation. The campaign had led to relinquishing of state powers in 1996, resulting in improvement of health parameters in Kerala. Instead, now, enforcement of law through the exercise of power, fines, etc., and the implementation of protocol during the pandemic, are considered of prime importance.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Bihar rural women entrepreneurs witness 50% surge in awareness about renewal energy

By Mignonne Dsouza*  An endline survey conducted under the Bolega Bihar initiative revealed a significant increase in awareness of renewable energy among women, rising from 25% to 76% in Nalanda and Gaya. Renu Kumari, a 34-year-old entrepreneur from Nalanda, Bihar, operates a village eatery that serves as the primary source of income for her family, including her husband and five children. However, a significant portion of her profits was being directed toward covering monthly electricity expenses that usually reach Rs 2,000. 

Work with Rajasthan's camel herders: German scientist wins World Cookbook Award 2023

By Rosamma Thomas*  Gourmand World Cookbook Awards are the only awards for international food culture. This year, German scientist  Ilse Kohler Rollefson , founder of Camel Charisma, the first of India’s camel dairies, in Pali district of Rajasthan, won the award for her work with camel herders in Rajasthan, and for preparing for the UN International Year of Camelids, 2024. 

Reject WHO's 'draconian' amendments on pandemic: Citizens to Union Health Minister

By Our Representative  Several concerned Indian citizens have written to the Union Health Minister to reject amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) of the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted during the 75th World Health Assembly (WHA75) in May 2022, apprehending this will make the signatories surrender their autonomy to the “unelected, unaccountable and the whimsical WHO in case of any future ‘pandemics’.”

Golwalkar's views on tricolour, martyrs, minorities, caste as per RSS archives

By Shamsul Islam*  First time in the history of independent India, the in-charge minister of the Cultural Ministry in the current Modi government, Prahlad Singh Patel, has glorified MS Golwalkar, second supremo of the RSS and the most prominent ideologue of the RSS till date, on his birth anniversary, February 19. In a tweet he wrote : “Remembering a great thinker, scholar, and remarkable leader #MSGolwalkar on his birth anniversary. His thoughts will remain a source of inspiration & continue to guide generations.”

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Why is electricity tariff going up in India? Who is the beneficiary? A random reflection

By Thomas Franco*  Union Ministry of Power has used its power under Section 11 of the Electricity Act, 2003 to force States to import coal which has led to an increase in the cost of electricity production and every consumer is paying a higher tariff. In India, almost everybody from farmers to MSMEs are consumers of electricity.

Deplorable, influential sections 'still believe' burning coal is essential indefinitely

By Shankar Sharma*  Some of the recent developments in the power sector, as some  recent news items show, should be of massive relevance/ interest to our policy makers in India. Assuming that our authorities are officially mandated/ committed to maintain a holistic approach to the overall welfare of all sections of our society, including the flora, fauna and general environment, these developments/ experiences from different parts of the globe should be clear pointers to the sustainable energy pathways for our people.

Environmental cost of Green Revolution: India world’s second-highest fertilizer importer

By Glenn Davis Stone*  Feeding a growing world population has been a serious concern for decades, but today there are new causes for alarm. Floods, heat waves and other weather extremes are making agriculture increasingly precarious, especially in the Global South .