Shocking Taj omission from tourism booklet

t is ironic and utterly shocking that the Taj Mahal which is one of the ‘seven wonders of the world,’ and attracts lakhs of tourists each year has failed to feature in Uttar Pradesh’s latest tourism booklet ostensibly because it was built on the instructions of a Mughal ruler. Titled Apaar Sambhavnaye or ‘Boundless Possibilities’, the brochure released by the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department displays most of the other cultural and heritage sites in the State, particularly those associated with Hindu religious tourism. A few months ago, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had said the Taj Mahal did not represent Indian culture. Although State Tourism Minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi said the State was “committed” to developing the “world-famous” Taj Mahal, the government’s move has cast doubts over its intentions. The controversial brochure has a picture of the Ganga Aarti in Varanasi on its cover featuring Yogi Adityanath and Rita Bahuguna Joshi, while its inside pages cover most of the cultural and religious sites of tourism and circuits like the Ramayana, Budhha, Krishna, Bundelkhand, Vindhya and Awadh. The brochure highlights the religious and cultural significance of Varanasi and its ghats, the coming Ardh Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, while promoting Ayodhya as the birthplace of Lord Ram and MathuraVrindavan for its connection with Lord Krishna. It also presents the Gorakhpeeth in Gorakhpur, of which the Chief Minister himself is the head priest, as a tourist destination.

Yogi Adityanath’s record in the few months that he has been in office also does not inspire hopes that the state would be secular in principle and in action under him. The manner in which all madrassas across the state were ordered to be geotagged through a GPS-based service and madrassas were asked to share maps of classrooms, photographs of the building and teachers' banking details was highly discriminatory. The madrassas have also been told to keep records of all functions conducted in their institutions. Ahead of the Independence Day, the state government had directed the madrassas to hold celebrations and videograph the event. If there is specific intelligence of a particular madrassa before an event it is another matter but blanket orders to all madrassas raise doubts.