Commercialization of Love!!!

Recently I made a trip to Agra, with office colleagues. For me it was my 4^th visit to the Taj and was not looking forward to the journey. For me it was a waste of a Sunday, on a day where I could put my feet up, enjoy a glass of beer and catch up with some necessary television time (for the fact there was nothing much to do in Aligarh). On insistence of my office colleagues I reluctantly got up at 6 am. 

To top it all our driver was a budding F1 race driver. His foot was like a brick on the accelerator and he would never use the brakes. Thank god for the breakfast stop at Priyanka hotel (which had a photograph of kareena ) where I had the oiliest but the best pharantas ever!!! After breakfast it was back on the roller coaster………..

We reached the Taj around 10 am….. Even before entering the gates our group were being approached by guides each shouting different rates for explaining the marvels of the Taj. We did not take the guide at the time thinking we would understand everything…. Plus we had a couple of non-virgins who had been to the Taj before….. After entering the gates even I realized that I also needed a refresher course on why is the Taj so famous…. The only problem which came up, two people ran to get guides each being successful of negotiating and getting one (enthusiastic first timers to the Taj)…. To my surprise both had licenses from the tourism but both had different rates for showing us around the monument of love…. After the bitter fight and settlement between the two guides we went around to see the Taj…..   For information of sake we paid 400 rupees for the guided tour….. After the guides we were being approached by professional photographers to get a click with the beauty in different filmy angles again rates being shouted loudly “only for 30 rupees, only for 100 rupees”….. Thankfully no one was interested in getting their photograph done professionally with the monument…… 

After our the 3 hour visit around the Taj….. We found a restaurant & bar right outside the Taj which served beer. So we non-virgins to Agra decided to sit down and drink…. So while the first-timers went to the Agra fort, I finally got to do what I always wanted on a Sunday drink beer and enjoy myself…… While drinking my second beer a thought struck me would Shahjahan want his love to be commercialized. He made the Taj for the world to appreciate the beauty of the monument and remember his love story forever…… But did he ever imagine that the monument for some have become a money making racket…. Even the guides would take us to shops outside the Taj so that they could earn a little commission. 

Is Love all About Money Honey???