The story of Love

“The Taj Mahal of Agra is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, for reasons more than just looking magnificent. It’s the history of Taj Mahal that adds a soul to its magnificence: a soul that is filled with love, loss, remorse, and love again. Because if it was not for love, the world would have been robbed of a fine example upon which people base their relationships. An example of how deeply a man loved his wife, that even after she remained but a memory, he made sure that this memory would never fade away.”

http://www.tajmahal.org.uk/history.html

The first thing that comes to mind when someone even mentions Taj Mahal is “love”. Ofcourse the monument is breathtaking each time one visits it, but what really takes our breath away is the way it brings out love and mushy desires. These desires can reach the  pinnacle when its a full moon night and the moment becomes eternal when your beloved shares the same moonlight that shines on the the Taj.

OK!

What if a person who does not know about the history of Taj Mahal visits it? (Which I think is rare, courtesy UP Tourism) However, hypothetically if someone who does not know the history will look at the structure from a totally different point of view. He may appreciate the structure, scriptures written, location, or may just be bored.

As mentioned by Rolf Dobeli “narratives are irrelevant, still we find them irresistible”. The world we live is closely knit with stories that brings an apparent harmony to things and makes them look coherent. The story bias states that “stories are dubious entities” and they simplify and distort reality and filter things that do not fit. Advertisers benefit from it.

So when people get all mushy when they see the Taj, its not really the monument that brings out those feelings, its their confirmation with the age old story of Love that is associated with it.

The knowledge of Story Bias has made me question a lot of things, ofcourse the stories are fascinating, however, when something is thought critically then one is wary and is able to look beyond what is said and believed.

Ofcourse I love the Taj. However, Iam sure it will look equally mesmerizing even on a star lit night. Because the feelings that I have are not in the monument but in me.

 

Vagisha

5 comments

  • And you are doing it again…the post itself is a narrative….and an enticing one at that…fair point well made:)

  • Ankita Diwekar Kabra

    Well, when i saw the taj mahal, i had of course known the story but I was like “Ok.. whats the big deal anyway? “.. maybe thats another bias too 🙂

  • Ayman Shaikhmahmud

    I visited the Taj recently and the monument in itself is mesmerizing, but the story turns it into a shrine of eternal love. 🙂

  • I do agree that once you already have enough information about something, it is difficult to look at it from a different perspective altogether. It is difficult to avoid getting influenced by what you already know.

  • When we talk about Love definitely the image of TajMahal and stories behind it comes in our mind. I had been to Taj Mahal last year and our guide(I must say, a good story teller) talked about the ‘Black Taj Mahal’ that Shah Jahan wanted to build for himself across Yamuna river just opposite to Taj Mahal. The guide also mentioned that thinking about the probable expenses Aurangzeb deposed him. He also showed us the foundation of black Tajmahal. I got really caught up in the narratives and the stories (and also the evidences). I started questioning the purpose behind making of Taj Mahal. I didn’t look for wider narrative and got swayed by the irresistible narrative. It’s difficult to critically evaluate when the information is woven into a beautiful story.

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