Sir Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941), the Bengali Indian poet, dramatist, novelist, and founder of the great seat of learning, Shantiniketan, was also the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. Once, he happened to visit the Taj Mahal, that magnificent monument built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to immortalize his love for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, in Agra.
I became increasingly curious about the Taj Mahal, especially after reading a short poem Tagore had written during his visit there, perhaps accompanied by his students or maybe alone. While I am not certain about the details of his visit, I do know that he was there and expressed his feelings in a poem written in English.
Years later, I had the opportunity to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra with four members of the Sri Lanka Press Council. On that particular day, however, we learned that the monument was closed to visitors. Still, I insisted, “My intention is not just to see the Taj Mahal, but to see the poem written by Tagore.”
“Who is going to help us?” asked our group leader.
“Perhaps there is someone responsible for looking after the place,” I replied.
Just then, we noticed a man dressed in office attire approaching us.
“Can I be of help to you, sir?” he asked politely.
“We wish to see the poem written by Tagore during his visit to the Taj,” I explained.
“The Taj is closed today, as you know,” he replied. “But I can take you to see the logbook where he wrote the poem.”
The officer smiled peculiarly and then looked at each of us before asking, “Do you remember the poem?”
“Yes,” I responded.
“I’d like to hear it,” he said.
I tried to recollect the lines while the others watched me expectantly. Slowly, the words came back to me:
A Love drop
Of Tears
On the cheek
Of time.
“Is that all?” asked the officer as he began ascending the staircase. He brought out the visitor’s book and turned to the page where the poem was recorded. We all gathered around, eager to see the great poet’s handwritten lines.
The officer said, “Do you know that it took about 20,000 workmen over 20 years to complete this masterpiece between 1632 and 1654?”
“They may have all been slaves—who knows?” one of our friends remarked.
For a moment, we all fell silent.
