And Taj Gets My Vote
My seven wonders wish-list:
Timbuktu City, Pyramids of Giza, Machu Picchu, Great Wall of China, Easter Island Statues, The Acropolis and the Taj Mahal.
Now the reason why I voted for Emperor Shah Jahan’s white marble beauty, the Taj Mahal, is not because I felt it to be my national duty or time to prove my Indianess (surely there are many serious issues that need our attention) or anything else along these lines.
I voted for Taj for the sake of Taj.
Looking at the present rate at which our national monument is losing its (once upon a time) shinning construction, irresponsible attitude of the ASI and the Tourism Industry, Environmental Pollution, Uncontrolled influx of tourists and other countless obstacles –In spite of being a part of the previous wonders list, Taj Mahal is in such a wretched state, it’s scary to imagine where it would end-up if NOT among the new wonders of the world.
As long as there is some kind of International focus on it, we can hope for Taj’s longer survival because if things were to be solely left in the hands of the Indian authorities and government – we might as well bid goodbye to it now.
With barely 48 hours left, maybe your vote could make some difference.
[The Taj Photo taken from Sebastian’s Flickr account]
We all have a right to express our views. In many instances; it will be against ours and in some; with us. To hear them out is 'decency' but to let them get to you is 'weakness'. 
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11 comments | Leave your comment
Jul 5th, 2007 at 11:11 am | #
Suppose Taj or Colloseum or Statue of Liberty dsnt finally figure out in the Wonders of the World list. Does that mean they are plebeian? Does it pull them off all their glory? I cant figure out why are we trying to make Wonders of our monuments… All of them are great, they all have their own glory and history. I think v shud let them b so!
I just copied my own comment from melody’s blog!
Jul 5th, 2007 at 1:06 pm | #
It doesn’t matter if Taj makes it to the list of the wonders. It is the effort of a private entrepreneur, who is not associated with any official world body. In fact UNESCO has distanced itself from the campaign. Most of the money raised by the SMS/E-mail polls will go on to fill his own pockets, and it hasn’t been made clear what part of it (if any) would go towards the uplift of the monuments. Even you can start your own “7 wonders of the world” contest, and yours would be equally (in)valid. The guy just seems to have a great media management and partnerships which brought his campaign to world’s notice. May good sense prevail.
Jul 5th, 2007 at 1:09 pm | #
Here’s a better link that stresses the UNESCO’s stand on it and the unscientific approach behind the voting.
Jul 6th, 2007 at 12:22 am | #
Forget it yaar, its just a money making business. This competition is not sponsored by UNESCO and they have issued statements distancing themselves from it. UNESCO has already declared the Taj Mahal as a world heritage centre and it will remain so till the whole structure collapses or maybe even beyond.
This competition is being run by some swiss fellow to make money. Ignore it. Whatever happens, the Taj will always remain human being’s best tribute to love. Period.
Jul 6th, 2007 at 5:12 am | #
Great pics! Re: Being recognized and World Heritage Sites, here what a recent article states: Even more ironic is the mounting concern that the UNESCO is actually speeding the demise of the planet’s most venerable places by designating them World Heritage Destinations. World Heritage status carries with it no funding, but brings an onslaught of tourists that many of the 830 sites “of outstanding value to humanity†are unable to sustain, especially the ones in developing countries.
Complete article here: http://travel.msn.com/Guides/greenarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=387810
Jul 6th, 2007 at 6:09 am | #
Dear Ambuj, I am well aware of the fact that the campaign is being backed by a Swiss entrepreneur but just because it’s not being supported or affiliated by UNESCO doesn’t necessarily mean that it is not genuine. I actually don’t understand what the whole fuss is about? It’s sort of like saying privatization is an evil thing. And then why should UNESCO’s involvement make all the difference….what have they actually done in terms of Taj Mahal’s restoration or maintenance.
Not saying that the folks involved in this campaign are not looking for pocketing some cash themselves but then what’s so wrong in it – To get some you gotto give some. What matters is that there should be international pressure and attention on our monument so that the people in-charge actually do utilize the funds for the intended goals and be accounted for it. One may never know….maybe these guys would do a better job than the people at UNESCO. And if it still bothers than don’t SMS or buy certificates….vote online for FREE OF COST.
In our country where big moolahs are wasted practically every bloody day via SMS for reality shows, etc…I think this still is a worthwhile investment of Rs. 3.00. But then again, to each its own – what you may think is sensible doesn’t necessarily mean that I have to agree on it too.
Jul 6th, 2007 at 6:14 am | #
We people wake up to some need only when it’s in a critical stage. This ‘New 7 wonders of world’ voting was on for a long time. Basically all major web portals had it’s add asking visitors to cast their opinions. But we didn’t care. There wasn’t any enthu among Indians to be a part of it. And now that Taj is on the verge of extinction from the list, all Indians are making this huge cry. Every Radio Channel, all blogs - everywhere u c, there’s this appeal - “Vote for Taj”. A Google search of this string returns 878,000 results. It wasn’t a quarter of that sum even a month ago. Y don’t we wake up in time?
Jul 6th, 2007 at 7:32 am | #
I guess it boils down to opinion. Future prediction is open to anyone’s bet. Having said that, I wonder what is your opinion on the method of selection. Anyone can e-mail them any number of times (using different e-mail addressed, of course), which makes the process unscientific. In fact, to tell the truth, I voted for the seven wonders site just to check how easy it is to bias the results. What I found was that it is child’s play. Even if one doesn’t know anything about bot programming, the 10 Minute Mail provides an easy way to generate as many throw-away e-mail addresses as one wants. Sit down on your computer, and you should be able to cast 500 votes in one day using this service. Whichever monument has more computer hackers on its side would win hands down. SMS won’t count and gift cards won’t count. Even the e-mails that humans send themselves would hardly count. I wonder if the result would more accurately reflect the “7 wonders of the world” or the “7 wonders of the hax0r world”. My bet is the latter.
Jul 6th, 2007 at 8:21 am | #
Taj ?? I did not vote for it.. I preferred Angkor wat, stonehenge, colosseum, pyramids, acropolis.. Guess I am not patriotic
These are works on a much larger scale than the Taj. I think that the effort to build things like stonehenge, pyramids or colosseum is much higher than Taj. These constructions were built much earlier than the Taj. The construction techniques were still more primitive than the time of Taj.
Jul 6th, 2007 at 4:21 pm | #
hi, i m jeet, taj is our mirracle.so we wann this in seven wonder of world
Jul 9th, 2007 at 10:29 am | #
Although now when TAJ has made it entry into the Top Seven and not only it is present there but it is on the top slot… It is Rank 1…
I truely support your viewpoint for voting for TAJ… Even I believe that this win over the other monuments will bring more Tourism in India that will in turn help in restoring the beauty of TAJ MAHAL…
Very nice pic…
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