WAHH TAJ

The construction of the railway lines and railroad tunnels in America started in the 18th century. As Karl Marx said “that the  railways would act as the very plinth on which the edifice of modern civilization would stand and this eventually would give birth to official labour communities all over the world”, the construction of the communication lines heralded the era of massive development which US witnessed in the next century. If one digs a bit deep, he would uncover a bit of filth and squalor behind the history of these railroad constructions. The history is horrific, ugly and blood-stained. The progressive white Americans mostly employed the comparatively sturdy Afro-Americans as labourers to build these tracks. These labourers were taken as bonded slaves and treated like dirt. They were forced to work for long hours with scanty food and water supplies, tortured vehemently and many died working on the site due to austere physical strain. A good lot got themselves killed for not being able to live up to their boss’s command and some even committed suicide. This inhuman treatment from the white bosses went on for years and the rail roads, tunnels and everything else bear silently the dark history of centuries till date. Those who are a bit inquisitive to know about this ghastly piece of history can simply type “John Henry” in google.

History is past. We can memorize it, take lessons from it, lament it, get livid, feel elated or oblivious about it but we can't amend it. Similarly we don't have the power to erase it. We can at the utmost deny it or make unwarranted aberrations. No amount of sugar-coating can justify the deplorable actions of the tyrannical minds like in the case we read above. It should be condemned and remembered with a heavy heart. But what's the point in scrapping the piece of history altogether? Should the Americans blow-up the railway tracks or stop using the railroads as a gesture of atonement? Any rational mind won't give an affirmative nod in this case and rightfully so.

Taj Mahal indeed was erected by the Mughal ruler Shahjahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Begum. It's one of the wonders of the world, a marvel of marbles, and a great tourist attraction for Indians as well as foreigners. What the Statue of Liberty is to US or the Eiffel Tower is to France, Taj Mahal is to India. Every Indian restaurant in Europe and America has a picture of the Taj inside. It has become integral to the concept of Indianness. It's completely unwise to treat it as a “blot” or forcefully establish the unverified theory of “Tejo Mahalaya”. May be Ustad Isa’s men met with a dreadful fate but we must not forget that the structure was created by the blood and sweat of Indians. Belittling it or ignoring it would tantamount to an insult to those departed souls who made the miracle happen. It's because of their toiling we are able to say today -

“Gar firdaus bar-rue zamin ast, hami asto, hamin asto, hamin ast.” (If there is a heaven on Earth, it's here, it's here.)