Mumtaz’s mausoleum Taj Mahal is a great architectural wonder and is on every foreign and local traveler’s list. We had the same plans from years, but finally on 22nd May (2016) Showkat Shafi one of my friends and I decided to visit Agra without fearing the sweltering heat of the summer. The much awaited Agra trip had many adversities than adventure.
The Gatimaan Express Ride
Showkat booked tickets of the hyped Gatimaan express, the 100 minutes express train to Agra. We boarded the train from Hazrat Nizamudin Railway station around 8 o’clock in the morning and our journey began.It was said that the train is fully WiFi enabled. Yes, the train had the internet facility but only to watch the worst copyright-free movies of Bollywood, Jaspal Bhatti Show and some devotional songs.
The food served in the train was vegetarian. They differentiate vegetarian and non-vegetarian food on the basis of a single omelet (though, world has yet to classify egg as vegetarian or non-vegetarian food!) Definitely, Gatimaan has failed to appease the non vegetarians. To my amusement the train attendant asked for a tip when it neared to the Agra Cant station.
Rickshaw Walla’s Ruckus
At around 9:50AM we reached the Agra Cant station and it presented the same sight of crowded stations across India. Red spit spotted walls, people young and old sleeping on the platforms, eating and waiting for their next train.
The Taj Mahal is around 10 minutes drive from the Agra Cant station but it is very difficult to hire any vehicle from near the station. They even overcharge you for the 10 minutes drive. The loud call of Rs.50 will sound good but don’t fall prey to this. They will confuse you with East gate, West gate and full day packages afterwards. If you deny all their offers they will drop you 200 to 300 metres away from the actual location and excuse that they don’t have permission to drive you through the gates. Ola or Uber can help you in situations like these, but sometimes drivers are smarter than we expect.
The Cunning Kids
Auto Rickshaw (Three-wheeler) dropped us around 200 metres away from a gate of the Taj Mahal complex. We walked down to the street and near ticket counters afew kids offered us a unique service. We stopped and carefully listened to their offer. Keeping in mind that the heat wave and long queues we readily agreed for the service. These kids offered us entry to Taj Mahal from a VIP gate and charged us Rs.200. One of them assisted us to cross few narrow streets and after merely 3 minutes walk he dropped us near the ticket counter of another gate. It took us around 20 minutes to enquire about the nature of the gate and it wasn’t any VIP gate.
After this incident I didn’t purchase the white covers for my shoes. It is mandatory to wear those covers when you are in the tomb or else you are supposed to walk bare foot to the complex
The Photographers & Guides at Taj Mahal
There is no end to annoyance in and around Taj Mahal. Photographers and tour guides will offer you special entry if you say yes to their services. Tour guides know each and every complexity of this great architectural marvel and photographers know every angle how to capture best shots of you with Taj Mahal no matter how photogenic you are or not?
Wah! Taj
The Taj Mahal is an iconic world heritage monument that draws millions of tourists every year.It is the jewel of Muslim art and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the marble stone architecture.
The pollution has affected the sheen of the Taj Mahal as yellow and rust coloured patches are quite evident on its walls. To revive its beauty, authorities have caged its minarets and are mulling to try mud therapy on its dome. These caged minarets are defacing the real beauty of the Taj Mahal. We wish one day will see the Taj without bamboo sticks cage and free of spots.
The sight at exit gate was very unpleasant. Local tourists were throwing shoe covers and empty bottles on the floor of the tomb premises. To awaken the conscious and civic sense of the people, a security guard shouts out loud to use trash bins. He was repeatedly calling “HinsdutanioKabbadloge tum” (when will you change Indians).
So if you are planning to visit Taj Mahal in the near future, you know what to do and what not to!
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