On World Tourism Day, Taj city Agra a story of neglect

By Brij Khandelwal 
 

Agra, Sep 27, 2012 (IANS) On World Tourism Day Thursday, Taj city Agra has little to celebrate in spite of being a favourite tourist destination. This is because of the total lack of forward planning, industry stakeholders say.

"There is neither the will nor any major policy push being contemplated by the state government, which had made many promises at the time of elections. The UP tourism department looks hardly prepared to create the kind of ambience required to encash the boom in the industry," said Shishir Bhagat, president of Wake Up Agra, an NGO working on different issues that people in the city face.

Tourism organisations in Agra Thursday organised the ritual welcome of tourists at the railway station and at different hotels. But there was little else to commemorate the day and no sign of activity to make the city any more "tourist-friendly".

Agra is one of India's top tourist destinations. Yet, it lacks basic infrastructure, and thus cannot take advantage of the interest generated in India and its tourist attractions, said Surendra Sharma, founder-president of the Agra Hotels and Restaurants Association.

"The (previous) Mayawati government did nothing, and we had great hopes from the young Akhilesh Yadav (the present chief minister)," Sharma said, talking of how successive chief ministers have let the city down.

"We thought the scenario would change for the better, we expected some action on our long list of demands. So far, however, there is nothing to indicate that the state government is treating Agra as a priority," Sharma lamented.

Rakesh Chauhan and Sandeep Arora, leaders in the tourism and hospitality industry in the city, said that there was a lack of vision and of will, in the political leadership of the state.

"Even with three world heritage monuments, Agra has not been able to significantly increase the number of visitors; and those who visit often make brief trips. Neither the state nor the central government seems interested in promoting Agra. The Yamuna Expressway has made it easier for tourists to return the same day, to Delhi. The hotel industry in Agra has little to look forward to in the next tourist season," Chauhan, president of the Agra Hotels and Restuarants Association, told IANS.

The president of the Federation of Travel Agents of India, Rajiv Tiwari, said: "Yes, we welcomed foreign tourists in the morning. Right now, we are taking some students on a Sadbhavna Yatra from Agra Fort. But these activities are hardly enough to sustain tourism, which needs big initiatives. The outlook for the coming season is bleak, with the slowdown in Europe. The situation now is no different from 1982, when we had presented a memorandum to the central government."

"What could be more amazing than the fact that there are no flights and no air connectivity with Agra? Our demand for a decent civil airport in Agra has been cold storaged. We had asked for the extension of the Metro rail to Agra. Even this was not granted. All our leaders do is grab land and make money," said a frustrated Chauhan, who pointed out that smaller cities like Mysore had an airport and were more easily accessible to tourists.

The Akhilesh Yadav government has not reduced the luxury tax, as was promised. There has yet been no announcement of reduction in Value Added Tax for airline fuel at the Kheria airport as was announced by the chief minister a few months ago. The UP tourism department has still to evolve a tourism policy for the state. Agra gets a lot of money from various agencies, but where it goes no one knows. There should be a proper mechanism for monitoring, Chauhan said.

Tourism bodies have hardly done anything to promote lesser known monuments in and around Agra. "The result is that most tourists visit the Taj Mahal and return the same evening," said director of Agra University's Tourism Institute, Lav Kush Mishra, who wanted a comprehensive action plan for tourism development for the whole Braj region that includes Mathura, Vrindavan, Bateshwar, and several important sites of religious importance.

Ashok Jain, leading handicrafts exporter and owner of the Kalakriti auditorium which runs the 90-minute audio visual show "Mohabbat the Taj", told IANS: "We have to do a lot of work on the cultural promotion work, to make sure that tourists extend their stay in Agra. Only then will the city gain from tourism."

In all this, there was a glimmer of hope.

"There is hope, the season looks good, going by early trends. We should see a boom in tourist arrivals this year," Paritosh Ladani, the owner of the five-star Radisson Hotel, told IANS.

SAVE  TAJ MAHAL

BRAJ MANDAL HERITAGE CONSERVATION SOCIETY

Goverdhan Hotel, Delhi Gate, Agra-2

 

 

Protests and regrets that commercial organisations are without authority and morality using the pride of India, the UNESCO recognised Heritage brand TAJ MAHAL for crass commercial gains, building replicas or hotels, or selling chai ki patti,  without paying royalty to AGRA or compensating in any other way the expenses incurred on the upkeep and maintenance of the 17th century white marble marvel.

 

These organisations in pursuit of their commercial objectives are desecrating a holy mausoleum revered by millions of people who visit and offer prayers at the Taj Mahal along the bank of holy Yamuna river in Agra. To give you a perspective, the original layout and design of the Taj follows the details of the main features of Jannat (Heaven) and the "Aayats" from the Holy Quran are inscribed at the main entrance. The mosque on the eastern flank attracts thousands of faithfuls to offer prayers. A large number of people offer prayers and seek favours and mannats.

 

The hyped romantic love story is for consumption of the tourists, but historically the whole area around the Taj Mahal has been a site of religious significance. Emperor Shah Jahan himself is now looked as a friend of the Almighty and treated as a celebrated saint.

 

It is our concern that  a huge hotel is now being built in Dubai. This will be a copy of the Taj Mahal in Agra and offer all kinds of opportunities for carnal pleasures of the body from gambling zones to bars and related activities.

 

Can we permit holy places being desecrated like this?  If we do not arrest this trend tomorrow someone will  come up with fake Muslim shrines visited by the devouts for the Haj yatra or replicas of shrines of other faiths. Would that be tolerated?

 

Remember, the Taj Mahal is no ordinary monument. Its a spiritual and divine destination whose original design came from the Farishtas. Now every year we have the Urs of emperor Shah Jahan who has been recognised as a saint.

 

The Taj Mahal is Agra's pride and pehchaan. The Agra Municipal Corporation should be paid a royalty, if some commercial gain is made out of using the Taj as a brand name. The money thus collected could be spent on cleaning up the Yamuna river which is dying unfortunately.

 

We appeal to all sensible people to raise their voice and prevent mis-use of the brand Taj Mahal for petty commercial gains.

 

The UNESCO and the government of India should intervene and approach the international bodies for stopping this practice.

Construction boom chips away at Agra's heritage character
By Brij Khandelwal

 

Agra, April 27: The Taj Mahal, a 17th century architectural marvel in marble, was meticulously planned. But the same cannot be said for Agra, which is witnessing a construction spree that could dent its heritage character.

The medieval Mughal city, which historians in the 17th century described as being more beautiful and bigger than London and Paris, is getting transformed into a concrete jungle. The construction work is neither in tune with its historical importance nor compatible with the demands of a modern city.

"The city's development lacks focus. It does not reflect the heritage character. The new buildings lack facilities for parking, greenery or open space," environmentalist Ravi Singh, who is also a progressive farmer from the Barauli Ahir block, said.

Where once trees grew in abundance with 16 beautiful gardens in various parts of the city, now gaudy structures are coming up. The dozen- odd community ponds have disappeared while there is no trace of the dense green patches that were home to a wide range of fauna.

"The difference between commercial and residential use has been obliterated by the unimaginative town planners who are indifferent, ostrich-like, to the chaotic urban scenario," said Sudhir Gupta, a lawyer and a resident of Vijay Nagar Colony, the oldest organised settlement in Agra.

The river front along the Yamuna is a vast wasteland. The city is expanding in all directions.

The Ansals, Parsvnath, Omax, Jaipurias, Unitech, TDI, the Jaypee group and half a dozen others are all racing against time to complete a project or two before the Commonwealth Games in 2010 in Delhi, which are expected to bring a host of additional tourists to this city.

On Fatehabad Road, the tourist complex of Agra, half a dozen hotel projects are at various levels of completion.

The Taj Express Highway project opened up another avenue all the way till Greater Noida for feverish construction and land acquisition. The 160-km super highway will reduce travelling time between Delhi and Agra by a good one hour.

In the past couple of years, heavy investment in the construction sector has added to the pressure on civic amenities.

Residents in most high-rise buildings now complain of inadequate facilities. Builders often violate well laid out norms on parking space, sewer connections and power supply.

"Most high-rise buildings have neither sewer connections nor treatment plants. All the waste is being dumped underground, poisoning our precious resources," said Singh.

The apex court has a petition pending on why the city of the Taj Mahal cannot be granted heritage status.

S. Varadarajan, who headed a Supreme Court appointed high-powered committee to examine and suggest measures to tackle the pollution problem in the Taj Trapezium, recommended a ban on high-rise structures within 10 km of the Taj.

Earlier, city improvement trusts used to be under the control of democratically elected local bodies. But the Agra Municipal Corporation has no say in policy matters.

The Agra Development Authority's (ADA) lacklustre performance on the development front has now raised questions about the relevance of this body.

"A group of bureaucrats now decide which way the city should develop," said Surendra Sharma, president of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society.

"The mayor and 90-odd elected municipal corporators have no power to control or influence decisions taken by the ADA, which is headed by people who have no roots or understanding of the city and no stakes in its future." ENDS

HOTEL ARCHITECTURE IN AGRA
2009 OCTOBER

AGRA   HOTELS   PROMOTE  

ARCHITECTURAL   EXPERIMENTATION

HERITAGE TOUCH TO PROPERTIES

AGRA:

Some of the most beautiful buildings in Agra belong to the big hotels which in the past few years have become the new hubs of developmental activity. The hotel properties are not only compatible with the heritage status of the city but have also contributed to further the process of experimentation in modern architecture.

Oberoi’s Amar Vilas, walking distance from the Taj Mahal is a classic, remniscent of Kubla Khan’s famed Xanadu, if looked from a distance. The sheer architectural fantasy expressed through rounded domes, stone work, the jalis, the rich texture, spacious walkways, takes one’s breath away.

Mughal Sheraton in the neighbourhood stands out for its unique layout and designing. The hotel in fact won the covetous Aga Khan Award for its architectural grandeur. True to its name the property carries forward the Mughal architectural traditions while incorporating modern features. The lush green lawns and the well maintained gardens so meticulously planned by Kanwaljeet Singh offer tourists the luxury of getting lost in the wilderness all by himself. The exterior of the Mughal Sheraton is misleading. Once you enter the lobby the grandness of the edifice takes several moments to sink in you.

Another hotel property on the Fatehabad road that has made a mark with its functional yet imposing design belongs to the Jaypee group. Hotel Jaypee is both a palace and a fort. The lavish use of red sandstone to create a medieval ambience with arches and columns, half a dozen conference halls equipped with modern gadgets, a variety of restaurants and swimming pools with no constraint of space remind you of the royal opulence during the Mughal period. The serene environment, cascading fountains, laid out amidst acres of green land, are indeed a delight for the tourists.

Hotel Heritage that was opened last year in the Imperial premises has also drawn attention for its architectural grandeur. Combining the best features of the Western and the Mughal designs, the hotel property retains the charm of the era gone by.

Another hotel close by holds the distinction of being one of the oldest in Agra. The Lauries hotel, now not so popular, yet the architectural features impress you. The Gothic style pillars, the high ceilings, the thick walls and the dimensions of the rooms take you back to the feudal era, according to Swatantra Bhagat who feels Hotel Clark Shiraz, Agra’s oldest five star property, is yet another modern architectural showpiece, combining comfort with functionality. The building though not so impressive to look at from outside, yet its interiors and designing are noteworthy, adds Swatantra Bhagat, an expert in interior décor.

Hotel Taj View on Fathehabad road stands tall and majestic inviting tourists to its plush ambience. A little short on open space, the five star hotel is described as one of the most elegantly planned structures in the city.

Within the city, it is the Holiday Inn in the Sanjay Place commercial complex, that has harmoniously blended Mughal traditions with modern designing features. “Even with all these experiments and forays it is the good old Mayur Tourist Complex, the vision of Deokinandan Vibhav, that continues to attract notice not so much for its architectural grandeur but for its lush green lawns and the openness that is so inviting,” says Surendra Sharma of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society.

The city of the Taj Mahal has more than a hundred small and big hotels, but only a dozen stand out for their design, planning and grandeur. “Hotel promoters have the resources and also a reason to experiment. They should therefore be a little more careful about the building plans and the overall design of their properties which should also take into account the local traditions,” says Rakesh Chauhan, president of the Agra Hotels and Restaurants Association.

LALIT RAJORA

HE PAINTS WITH HIS CAMERA

When Lalit Rajora took up photography as a hobby some 15 years ago, there were neither good photographic machines, nor computers. "In the name of glamour we only had pretty models to shoot and Agra had just begun to wake up around 1997 with all the fashion shows and cultural programmes. Slowly the trend began changing," young  wild life photographer Lalit Rajora told Times of Agra in an interview.

After schooling, Lalit began his creative journey exploring mediums and platforms that would help him express himself naturally without any "banabtipan and dikhawa."

Its difficult to make him talk, but his pictures speak volumes. "In the beginning I was totally focused on beauty and spent lot of time in Mumbai to shoot stills for films, but restless soul that I am I could not adjust there and returned home. At the turn of  the  millennium I literally went wild, making wild life sanctuaries my second home," Lalit said.

These last few years Lalit has been fascinated with tigers, trekking dense forests in Ranthambore and Bandhavgarh reserves. "It takes days and weeks to shoot a good photograph of a tiger in his natural habitat and its risky too. We have to hire elephants and wait anxiously for the wild cats to disappear and then suddenly look right into your eyes. That time if you lose your cool, you had it."

A simple boy next door type, Lalit is totally obsessed and engrossed with wild life photography. His calenders are a huge hit and so are the desktop showpieces. "These products of mine are meant for the corporates and the nature lovers who can spend liberally. I get support from the MP government's forest department and the project tiger people."

Still a bachelor, he seems to be in no hurry to settle down. "I am in deep love with the tigers and cant share my love with others for the moment," he says.

Talking about himself he says "I started photography as a hobby when I was a teenager. Later the photography became both my passion and profession. I do advertising, fashion and wildlife photography. I am more into wildlife photography as a conservationist and nature lover. Besides, the Tajmahal has always fascinated me and I have captured this monument of love in different shades."

Tell us something about the finer nuances of photography. "To me  photography is all about capturing moments. Those moments that slip away unnoticed because of our hectic lifestyle. I believe that for the creative satisfaction, the sky is the limit in photography. I am a painter using camera as a brush. I play with colors and light. Photography stops the time. No other medium of ex-pression can do that."

Lalit is a die-hard Agraite. When not in the wild he is with his friends. The Taj Mahal continues to fascinate him and he has captured the building in every conceivable way and angle. He plans producing a book, a coffee table book soon on the tigers and may be one on the Taj Mahal.

Last December, Lalit was honoured for his contribution to photography at a public reception organised by the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society. Culture critic Mahesh Dhakar talks about his photos "he is the best in the business right now. Its sheer poetry. Look at the tiger crouching near a water hole. The royal look has been so beautifully captured. He is amazing."

Lalit is in no hurry to reach anywhere. "Its like meditating for hours waiting for your subject to turn up and oblige you with a precious moment to be captured in the camera. So you really learn to be at peace with yourselves and also soak in the tranquility of the wild life reserves. When you look around in the forest sitting near a rivulet, you find so much happening, the insects, the fish, the chirping birds, the squeaky squirrels, the struggle for survival.....nature in its various manifestations, mind boggling diversity all around you."

NOVEMBER 2, 2009

MEET  YOUR  NEIGHBOUR

SATYA MUDGAL: A NEW FACE OF COMEDY

Comedy is writ large on his face. Even if he says or does nothing, the changing contours on his highly expressive visage will amuse one and make you wonder what’s up his sleeves next.

He is Satyavrat Mudgal, Agra’s own “Raj Pal Yadav+Mehmood and Johnny Walker,”

The long years spent in theatre have helped him perfect his art that borders on hilarity and buffoonery. When he first did a bit role in Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya as a local hangar-on with Abhishek, ten years ago, Satya’s gut feeling was “the journey has begun.” And when Slumdog Millionaire came, he knew there was destiny knocking at his door to get noticed internationally. “Though most parts of the Agra episode of stealing shoes and fooling tourists around the Taj Mahal were cut in the final product as opposition from the local tourism industry and guides forced director Boyle to strike a compromise, those associated with this Oscar winning project got a chance to see my histrionic talent and flair for desi comedy, pure and unadulterated,” Satya said in an interview.

The Agra region has a peculiar Hindi dialect, a queer mix of Urdu and Braj Bhasha with typical accents that sound sweet and vulgar. Satya has mastered this lingo and thus far remains the best exponent of  this cultural strain in Bollywood.

Leaving his pucca job in Army’s 509 base workshop after completing a five year course in architecture, Satya followed where his heart was, the theatre and films after the 1998 Tera Jadoo put him on the filmi track. His father was supportive through out saying architects are forgotten but actors never. Agra’s leading theatre personality Dayal Pyari chiseled and polished his theatrical talent and when “Atma Hatya ki Dukan” was staged, people said Satya has finally arrived. “So many people helped me Jitendra Raghvanshi, Vinay Patsaria, Vishwanidhi, Alok, I am truly indebted to all of them and to my city of monuments. Right now I have more than 15 films.”

Satya said after finishing my architecture course the first thing he did was to get married because “it is difficult for  theatre people  and others in the creative fields to enter wedlock. From 2005 apart from acting in films as a comedian I have taken to story writing and script writing as an assistant of earlier Ikram Akhtar. So I am now financially viable as a product in the industry, not having to struggle like many others.”

Satya has been seen in Kwara, Chal mere Bhai, Bibi no 1, Yeh hai Jalwa, Joru ka Gulam, Nai Padosan. He would soon be seen in Pyasa, Jai Balaji, Shirdi ke Sai Baba, Budha Balam, Nai Lugai, to name a few with distinctive Braj flavour. Manoranjan was his first independent project as a script writer. Then came Rafoo Chakkar, Kash Mere Hote with Johnny Lever. His bit roles in Amir, 1.40 ki last local and Bolo Ram with Om Puri and Nasiruddin to be released on November 18 have been appreciated. While shooting Bolo Ram he fell from 35 feet injured his spine and was in ICU in Mumbai for more than a week. “But that’s an occupational hazard,” Satya says philosophically.

He fondly remembers the four days of shooting at the Taj Mahal with Danny Boyle, director of Slumdog Millionaire. “Those people are so professional, no airs, so much of humility and politeness. No wonder they get the best out of artistes.”

Satya says the comedy scene is changing in films. “Now you need intelligent comedy, the IQ level of the cine goers is going up. Cheap and vulgar type comedy no longer appeals. All the time we are under pressure to re-invent, do something new, although the market for comedy worldwide is expanding.”

Satya resembles Raj Pal Yadav in looks, size and mannerisms. “With him, I will be seen in Kuch khel kuch masti, Lallan Calling, Bhooth Nath, Bolo Ram.” Raj Pal is a good actor, but I am not bad either,” he quickly adds.

Satya makes it a point to return to his roots in Agra every few months. “This is necessary to breathe freely some fresh air and also be acquainted with my roots. The city has given me an identity due to the Taj Mahal and the Pagal Khana. I have to give my best to justify my links with this city of romance,” Satya adds.

Who is destroying Agra's heritage?

CITY'S URBAN PLANNING GOES HAY-WIRE

 

Agra November 21 (IANS)

 

 

The construction frenzy that has gripped the mandarins in the Agra Development Authority (ADA) is causing a lot of anxiety and fear among environmentalists and land scape designers who have expressed concern at the lack of long-term vision and commitment to conserve the essential heritage character of the Mughal Metropolis with three world heritage sites.

 

"The development efforts are in bits and pieces, ad hoc, sporadic, and lacking in a grand vision. The ADA babus have never heard of heritage ambience or architectural compatibility," rues historian Raj Kumar Sharma Raje.

 

The city seems to live in three different ages from stone age to 21st century. "If Akbar were to rise from his grave in Sikandra and walk down to his Fort, he would have no problem of losing his way, nor would he need to ask anyone for the directions. Really nothing has changed in the city fundamentally," says Wake Up Agra president Shishir Bhagat.

 

Conservationists are particularly angry at the utter lack of sensitivity to the historic architectural compatibility in new structures being built around the Taj Mahal and other monuments that each day draw thousands from all over the world. "The tourists who spend so much money and time come to see our rich architectural heritage and not the ghettos or the box type concrete jungles that are mushrooming everywhere so thoughtlessly," said president of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society, Surendra Sharma. "Its not just Agra but the entire Braj area, Mathura, Vrindavan, Goverdhan where you see concrete jungles replacing old grand heritage structures. The ghats on the river Yamuna have disappeared, even the green mangroves of Sri Krishna have vanished," Sharma added.

 

Architectural monstrosities, haphazard urban planning, disorganised traffic movement along the main roads due to increasing number of encroachments, lack of pattern and thinking are self-evident, says conservationist Rajiv Saxena. "In the name of beautification, obstructions are being installed at road crossings. The MG Road widening plan into six lanes is in the pipeline and the ADA is senselessly going ahead with the fly-overs and overbridge construction in many areas without ensuring that the designs gel with the ambience of the area. The city badly needs an Urban Arts Panel to guide and advise official town planners so that the essential character of the city is not lost," Saxena  adds.

 

The bureaucrats keep coming up with fancy projects every now and then without thought to "visual pollution." Had it not been for some activists, a former mayor and a commissioner of Agra then would have gone ahead with promoting a "London Ferris Wheel" project near the Taj Mahal. Luckily the project was stalled in time. "Its the same mentality that inspired the BSP supremo Mayawati to launch the controversial Taj Heritage Corridor in 2003, between the two world heritage monuments Taj and the Fort."

 

 

Demands have also been made to constitute an urban arts panel in the city which should oversee and suggest suitable modifications in the urban plans. But the mindless and often haphazard urban constructions in the city are set to imbalance the heritage character of the Mughal metropolis, says Anand Rai, a key functionary of the India Rising group in Agra.

 

Abhinaya Prasad, director of the Skill Assessment and Certification Centre says "all arts and architecture loving people of Agra will have to raise their voice in a crescendo to force official agencies to stop visual pollution in the city of the Taj Mahal and numerous heritage structures."

 

In recent years, many projects undertaken by the ADA or cleared by it  have come under fire for not being in tune with the character of the city. "Obviously the bureaucrats have no idea about the high powered Dr S Vardarajan committee report which outlined 20 odd recommendations for the development of the city, including restrictions on high rise buildings within ten kilometres of the Taj Mahal, but the ADA has promoted its own ADA Heights not too far away from the heritage building," says Hari Dutt Sharma, an educationist. 

 

A few years ago, the ADA spent crores of Rupees on beautifying the approach road to the Taj Mahal from Shilp gram parking slot. Now the UP state government has launched a new Taj project costing Rs 140 crores to beautify the whole area and basties around the Taj Mahal. "So what happens to the work done earlier like installing fancy street lights in Mughal style? Where have they vanished?" asks hotelier Sandeep Kumar.

 

 

Elsewhere too in the city, urban planning or the lack of it is visible in myriad forms. People have renamed ADA as Agra Destruction Agency. "The reason why the mandarins in the ADA are able to have their way is because the 85 odd elected corporators of the Muncipal Corporation do not have a direct say in the running of the development body which lacks accountability and transparency. It is necessary to bring it under the control of the Muncipal Corporation where those elected can discuss the urban plans. Right now the babus are too arrogant and feel that the corporators are a set of duffers. This is an insult to democratic institutions," comments social activist Shravan Kumar Singh.

 

The city has multiple authorities or interest groups each at variance with the other. The district administration, the city corporation, the ADA, the Taj Mission Board, the Taj Trapezium Zone Authority, the Zila Parishad, the Archeological Survey of India, the state pollution control board, the builders and colonisers' lobbies, the tourism industry and so on are all engaged in developing Agra and "see what they have reduced this city to," adds a frustrated activist Sudershan Dua.