Taj Mahal: The Emblem of Love

"Do you know, Taz? Why is honey sweet?" Asked Vedantha, coming into his hut, drenched and dusted from a long day of Divine Labour: a term coined by the Emporer Shah Jahan to make the labourers believe their work is sacred. "Not just honey! Have you ever wondered yet? Why is honeycomb itself sweet?" 

"Would you care to enlighten me, my love?" Taziana replied playfully without looking at him as she was busy cutting vegetables at the table.

"Because every cell of it is made of love." He said and hugged his young wife from behind. She giggled and wiggled loosely to break out, wishing never to succeed. "Honey bees love what they do, for they believe their cause is sacred. Hence every little act of theirs becomes love. And love is sweet. Every soul, such as us, who is fortunate enough to taste it knows it. Don't they?" He whispered in her ears and kissed her gently on her cheek.

"Now tell me, what is it that gathered honey bees into your mind coming straight from work?" She elbowed him lightly on his belly as she headed towards the kitchen.

"It is the Mumtaz Mahal we are building." He slid up the window curtain and allowed the gold of the winter evening to grace their hut. The sun was setting red over the magnificent foundation of the piece of architecture that would colour the hearts of the beholders with love and sorrow at the same time in years to come.

"What about it?" She put aside her chores and went near him. "Your heart is not at ease for some days now, you may not tell me, but I have felt it."

"The Mumtaz Mahal is being built as the Emblem of Love in memory of our late Empress. Our Emporer would leave no stone unturned to ensure that songs of love between him and Mumtaz would be sung and remembered as long as the great monument stands, and believe me, it would stand for an eternity. It is being built at such a scale and fashion that our history has never seen. Never again such a feat will be accomplished in the future. It would enchant its beholders with a sense of might and marvel, but will they marvel with love? Because no love is being poured in the process." He said while swaying his hands slowly through the gold dust from the window, trying to form abstract patterns.

"Tell me more."

"Every day, the nobles tell us that our work is sacred, but they do not treat us well. Every day someone dies in an accident; many suffer fatal injuries while working, and we are not even allowed to mourn them. If they find someone catching a breath while working, they beat them to unconsciousness. They think they are building the Emblem of Love, but in reality, it is an Emblem of Cruelty. If we do nothing and the construction finishes in the manner it is proceeding, all the efforts and sacrifices of these labourers, all the resources and an opportunity to give the world a true Emblem of Love will go wasted upon an enormous pile of marble. I can not let it happen, Taz. My soul will not let me."

"Oh! Ved, your ways of perceiving the world is a wonder to me." She took his hands in her hands. "But it is no good meddling in the matters of the big people. We are small people, Ved. We can't do anything about it."

"It's not the riches one possesses that decides who is big or small; It's what one does with the life given to oneself. I believe if god has blessed me with the ability to dream, it's my duty to find the courage to fulfil it." He said, looking deep into her brown 

eyes as if asking her to stand by him as she always has.

She couldn't help but smile at him with utmost gratitude to Allah for blessing him with such a man. "Tell me, how are we to accomplish it?" She asked.

*

To set his vision afoot, Vedantha must meet The Emporer in person. It was no easy task. Fortunately, he knew the person who could help him with this: Ustad-Ahmad Lahori.

Ustad was the chief architect of the Mumtaz Mahal. Vedantha was his only Hindu apprentice. Ustad always favoured Vedantha over his other apprentices for his deep understanding of architecture and labourer management skills. Vedantha's marriage with the Muslim girl Taziana was also one of his favours, for which Vedantha will always be indebted to him.

Vedantha knocked on the door of the chamber of Ustad.

"It's open." said the voice from inside, followed by a series of dry coughing.

Vedantha went inside. Ustad had wrapped himself in a shawl and seemed to be working on something under his study lamp. Slow and steady flickers of the yellow lamp were the only serving light in the room. Even in the afternoon, it felt like midnight of a new moon once he closed the door behind him.

"Don't come near me..." "Stand where you are..." "It seems I've caught a viral fever." Ustad managed in between his coughing.

Vedantha stood there waiting for Ustad to gather his composer.

"I won't be able to continue my duty from tomorrow until I'm on my feet again." Ustad began. "I've decided to divide my responsibilities and my men among Eight of my apprentices until then. The rest of the seven are on their tasks already. For the most daunting task among them, I've chosen you. You're the only one capable of handling it besides me."

"What is it, Master?" Asked Vedantha, already knowing the answer.

"I've assigned you to the group of 2500 labourers who call themselves Varuna Sena: The army of the god of water. Their work is to fetch water from the Yamuna river to the construction site. A tedious task indeed, but you understand how important it is. Right? Even a small delay in water supply could prove fatal for the construction. Your task is to ensure that doesn't happen."

"You've trusted me with this master. I am grateful. Nothing will go amiss in my watch. I assure you." He said and stood there for a while, hesitating to ask for a favour.

"What is it, my son?"

"I was thinking about asking for a favour, Master."

"Oh, laddie, I am in no shape to fulfil any favours right now. But, I can give you one thing, a hint, perhaps. Accomplish this task, and you will never have to ask for favours from anyone." He said with a mysterious grin on his face.

Vedantha left the chamber confused and feeling strangely satisfied. He didn't know what to make of those last words of Ustad. 'Maybe Taz can tell.' He thought.

*

"Do you know, Taz? What is it that keeps the human race alive?" Asked Vedantha, coming into his hut feeling fresh and fortunate.

"Ah, I think I should know this one. Gods, maybe?" Said Taziana, coming out from the bath and wiping her hair with a towel.

"It is hope, my love. A possibility of seeing the light some distant day that keeps us fighting the dark." He said as he tried to play with her wet hair.

"Something interesting has happened today, has it not?" She pushed him away gleefully and walked in front of the mirror to brush her hair.

Vedantha gave a detailed account of what happened in the chamber and asked her opinion about the words of Ustad.

"I think the fortune is about to favour us in unlikely ways."

"In unlikely ways! Strange choice of words. I would say." He walked to stand behind her, took a strand of her long brown hair and tucked it carefully behind her ears.

"So, tell me, Ved. How are you to approach the first day of your new endeavour?" She said, looking into his eyes from the mirror.

"The gold you received on our wedding day, which we were saving for building our new home, we still have it, right? I think the time has ripened to use it wisely." He said.

*

As Vedantha rightly presumed, it was hard to keep the labourers motivated throughout the day. A dirt ramp was built between the Yamuna and the construction site to allow the easy conveyance of water. Still, it was a demanding task to carry water uphill. That too under the sun and with an empty belly.

Vedantha realised that the excessive hard work and hunger were killing his labourers slowly. 'They may carry on like this for a few more years, but they would not survive to see the fulfilment of the monument.' He thought and decided to take the responsibility of providing afternoon meals for Varuna sena. Taziana had voluntarily chosen herself as the chief chef for the endeavour.

As the days passed, the morale and efficiency of the Vauna sena rose. The stories of Vedantha feeding his 2500 labourers by himself every day became the talk of the town in no time. And with it rose the name of Vedantha in the hierarchy of the significant men of Agra.

"Our gold is about to deplete, Ved," Taziana said one day during the afternoon meal. "Two more days, and we will have to find another source to fund the daily meals."

"I think the gold has played its part, Taz. The labourers under the other apprentices have begun demanding the same treatment as the Varuna sena. The labourers are awakening about their rights. Some of them are even threatening to go on strike. Pressure is building on the nobles. The court of Shah Jahan will be sending for me any day now."

Two days went by. Nobody from The Darbar of Shah Jahan came looking for Vedantha. There was no news about Ustad's health as well. From the day he took this new responsibility, he was living a dream from which he would never want to wake. But now, the situation was such that he would love to see Ustad return from his deathbed and take back the reigns from his hands.

When they first took up the responsibility, Every apprentice had received an Elephant to command the groups of labourers from above. Vedantha had named his Elephant: Airavatha. He loved riding Airavatha as much as he loved the beast. But he never took Airavatha on the construction site, for he wanted the Varuna sena to feel that he was one of them, not above them.

That morning he fed Airavatha well, climbed on him with tears running down his cheeks, and departed for their last ride together. He knew an animal dealer who would offer a fair amount for a well-kept beast. It would cover the cost of daily meals of Varuna sena for a week more. 'Taziana will kill me once she finds out about my sin.' He thought

Just then few horse riders came shouting from behind him and encircled Airavatha. One of them came in front of Airavatha and removed his helmet, "Ustad seeks a word with you. Immediately." He shouted.

Vedantha entered the dark chamber of Ustad, thinking that Ustad had recovered and was ready to reclaim the charge. But what he saw in front of him, his startled heart refused to believe. The Emporer of the realm himself was waiting for him beside Ustad under the dim yellow flickerings of the old lamp.

"So you are the one who has the whole Agra talking about the labourers' rights." Shah Jahan spoke.

Until now, all Vedantha needed was a chance to reach the ears of the Emporer. Now when the Emporer was right in front of him, all he could do was shake his head in agreement.

"You are the reason my entire court can't sleep at night nowadays. In normal circumstances, you'd have been inside the dungeons by now, counting bars. But Ustad believes that he will not be able to fulfil the dream we both wove together and that you're the only capable person who can help me do it. So tell me, Vedantha, will you take the responsibility of the chief architect of the Mumtaz Mahal from today on?

*

"Do you know, Taz? Why god gives us hard times?" Asked Vedantha, coming into his hut, trying so hard not to cry out loud with excitement and spoil the surprise.

"So that we learn to savour the good times with all our hearts while they last," Taziana said quietly, lying on her bed.

The answer left him speechless for a while. It was so beautiful that he almost forgot that he was about to surprise Taziana. "It is beautiful, Taz. What you have just said."

"Because it has come straight from my heart. Everything that comes from the heart is beautiful. Only those who have learned the art of doing things with their hearts know this, don't they?"

"Of course they do." He said and went near her, trying to keep the excitement alive. But he noticed that Taz was not her usual self today.

"Hey, what happened to you? Come on, wake up! I've something to tell you." He tickled her by lightly touching her waist. But she did not spring up on her knees laughing as she would usually do.

"I also have something to tell you. But I don't know how to. I do not want to ruin your moment, but it is important."

"Taz? Why are you talking like this? What is the matter?"

"Your Taz is dying, Ved. She is halfway there already."

"What are you saying? Are you crazy? Take back your words, Taz. It is no joking matter."

"I wish I were lying. I have been ignoring the chest pain for a month now. Today it was unbearable, and blood started to come out with my coughing. So I went to the healer. She says I've Karka in my lunges. It is uncurable."

"No! It can't be true. TELL ME YOU'RE LYING." Vedantha let out a muffled wail, his body trembling with sheer pain. "From the day we met, I've been promising you the life of your dreams. Now when the time has come when we can live our dreams, god is taking you from me." Vedantha put his head in her lap, sobbing.

"I am not dying tomorrow, you idiot. We may still have six or seven years of togetherness. And who told you I did not have a good life with you? From the day we met, I've been living the life of my dreams." She said, leaning on his head and they stayed put together for a while without saying anything.

"I am the chief architect of the Mumtaz Mahal now, Taz. It will take ten more years to complete. I'll not let you go without seeing it." Vedantha broke the silence wiping his tears. "Until now, I was building it as the Mumtaz Mahal. From today on, I will raise it as The Taz Mahal. I will ensure that it will have the essence of the pure soul that you are. I will try to pour as much love into it as I have for you. It will be the emblem of love as true as our love is for each other."

*

So the years passed, and the Taz Mahal began blossoming as a thing of wonder. Labourers pour their hearts into it, for they start believing that their work is sacred. They were treated and fed well. On the other hand, Taziana withered with time as the greens do under Autumn. But they both had accepted their fate now. They had decided never to let the sadness creep into their warm hearts ever again.

Another significant thing happened during this time. Stories of love between their chief architect and his sickly wife slowly became popular among the labourers who admired Vedantha and then spread into the entire Agra like wildfire into a summer forest.

Everything about it was merrily received in Agra. Until one day, an ill-intentioned foul-mouthed adviser twisted the tale and warned Shah Jahan about Vedantha. He made the Emporer believe that Vedantha was circulating the stories on purpose so that when people see The Mumtaz Mahal, they remember his love for Taziana. That enraged the Emporer beyond any measure, but he did not act until the construction concluded.

Finally, the dark day arrived, which would be remembered as one of the cruellest days in the history of Hindustan.

"It is marvellous, Veda. Its charm touches my heart from the distance as well." Taziana said, who was sitting with Vedantha on the balcony of their new home watching the Taz Mahal.

As soon as she said that, she fell on Vedantha's lap groaning in pain, blood coming out of her mouth.

Before Vedantha could do something about it, he heard heavy footsteps hurrying along the steps. The construction had concluded. The Emporer had decided to act.

The soldiers dragged Vedantha along the floor, who was wailing and begging them to allow him a moment with her dying wife.

"LEAVE ME ALONE... MY WIFE... SHE IS DYING..." He cried, trying all his might to escape and ran back to Taziana, who was stretching her arm for him lying on the floor, unable to speak.

"AT LEAST GIVE ME A MOMENT... LET ME SEE HER FACE ONE LAST TIME..." He kept on crying. They did not listen.

It is known all over Hindustan that enraged Shah Jahan had ordered to hang Vedantha and cut the hands of the entire Varuna sena for being loyal to Vedantha.

Some people see it as the Emblem of Love, and some as the Emblem of Cruelty. But those who understand why it is called Taz Mahal and not Mumtaz Mahal know it is the true Emblem of Love.

*