Not sure how, but last Sunday I hit a mighty 73 runs with seven fours & four sixes at the scenic UKM Oval. Our SOCC team were playing against Malaysia France Institute (MFI) All-Stars in a 30-over match. We won the match comprehensively.
Maybe, just recently I was in India for a week. Or maybe, I’m now spending my nights in front of Astro channel 972 watching the IPL.
4 . 1 1 4 . 4 1 1 . . 1 1 1 6 1 4 4 1 1 1 6 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 . . 6 1 4 1 6 . 1
Akanku kota janji kita
Mendirikan Taj Mahal cinta
Seteguh kasih
Shah Jahan kepada
Mumtaznya
- Nubhan AF6
Unlike the song, the Taj Mahal is too much. Much, much more. Mere words cannot justify its existence.
اگر فردوس بر روے زمین است
همین است و همین است و همین است
Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast,
Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast.
If there is any paradise on the face of the earth,
This is it, this is it, this is it
- Amir Khusro
The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in commemoration of his favourite wife (wife number 3 for your info), the Empress Mumtaz Mahal. In fact the wife number 1 and number 2 also buried in the Taj complex, but in a very much (very, very much) smaller mausoleums. Some said, he loved her so much because she bears him all his children, where the other twos were barren.
Shah Jahan married Mumtaz Mahal (real name Arjumand Banu), a grandaugther of Itimad-ud-Daula, the Wazir of Emperor Jahangir in 1612. Mumtaz died in 1631 at the birth of her 14th child.
The grief stricken emperor spared no effort in building the tomb in her memory, which is universally acknowledged as one of the most beautiful creation on earth. After his death in 1666, Shah Jahan was buried in a tomb beside his beloved.
Artisans were requisitioned from all over the empire and from Central Asia and Iran. While bricks from the internal framework were locally made, white marble for external surfaces was brought from Makrana in Rajasthan. The building was completed in 1648 after 17 years, at the costs of about 40 million rupees at a time when gold was sold at Rp 15 per 11.66 gram. Now without taking the inflation rate factor, only on the gold pricing alone, the costs would be 40 billion rupees (RM 5.3 billion). However, looking at the intricate and elaborate designs and embellishments, at least it worth 4 times more.
Shah Jahan, grandson of the Emperor Akbar, had a passion for architecture. Under his aegis, Mughal architecture reached its zenith, entering its classical phase. The emperor personally oversaw the building and the architect for the most part is believed to be Ustad Ahmed Lahori.
The Taj plans display strict bilateral symmetry. Every single thing in the Taj complex is symmetrical, except the tomb of Shah Jahan, which was not part of the master plan. The central point is the tomb (rauza) and its four minarets (used for calling azan in those days), flanked by a mosque and an assembly hall (Mehman Khanah … mehman is guests, by the way). The Taj is exactly as wide as it is high (55m) and the height of its dome is the same as the height of its arcade façade. A highlight of the monument is the exquisitely carved pietra dura inlaid with semi precious stones. Some of the stones glow during full moon.
The colour of the translucent marble keeps changing from dawn to midnight, giving it a magical aura in keeping with Shah Jahan’s vision that the tomb and the garden should represent paradise on earth.
To Jay, my dearest wife, the mother of my children, I could not possibly able to emulate to any extent what Shah Jahan did. He’s the Emperor. He’s not even a king, he’s the Emperor. I’m just a man on the street. And of course, Mumtaz had 14 children, you have 4.
“The foundations of this world tower, known as the Qutb-Minar, were laid by Qutbuddin Aibak of the Mamluk Dynasty towards the end of the twelfth century. The construction was interrupted at the first storey by his death, and the remaining three storeys were completed in matching material and style by his successor Iltutmish commonly known as Altamash in A.D. 1230.
In A.D. 1368 the Minar was damaged by lightning. Later, Firuz Shah Tughluq (A.D. 1351-1388) replaced the top storey by the existing two storeys faced with marble.
Sikandar Lodi (A.D. 1489-1517) also executed some repairs to the Minar in A.D. 1503, when it was again injured by lightning.
The tower has a diameter of 14.32m at the base and about 2.75m at the top, with height of 72.5m, and ascended by 379 steps. It is the highest stone tower in India and a perfect example of minar known to exist anywhere.
The variegated plan of its three lower storeys, the projecting balconies with stalactite pendentive brackets and ornate bands of inscriptions on its facades heighten its decorative effect.”
It has been a kind of ritual. Having my breakfast, on every working day with my sweet Jay at one of the ‘ok’ Malay restaurant in my vicinity.
After sending the girls and Waseem to school in Subang Jaya every morning, before going to work, I would stop by at Restoran Jaring for some sumptuous ‘sarap’ (says the Bruneian). The other reason is that my dear Waseem, who school’s also in the afternoon, loves the charkoi, freshly made by two of the restaurant workers whom speak Thai most of the time.
Anyway, since it’s a kind of routine, I do observed that beside us, there were others who made it their habit to come to this premises for breakfast.
There’s one couple. I would call them the Easy Riders. Both husband and wife were wearing leather jackets. It doesn’t matter what the wife was wearing (baju kurung, blouse etc.), she will wear the same jacket. Sometimes they rode their Yamaha 350cc, but most of time just the Modenas kapchai.
There’s another couple. They were just office mates I think, just platonic. The man is very thin. But the lady, my goodness. These two will seat on the same table of four, but perpendicularly to each other, every time, and every morning. I just plainly ignored to have a peek at the amount of food portions on her platter. It’s just too scary. God saves this Contra Couple.
There’s the owner who sits and reading newspaper leisurely. And his wife (I assumed) who took care of the counter, and will count every single sen. This restaurant is not cheap, but the food is not bad.
There’s us. Talking mostly about our kids, the politics, Jay’s ‘cuti dalam cuti’ (a.k.a. master program), me saving the world (my office work), and any odd people coming to the restaurant.
Unlike breakfast at Tiffany’s, there no pastry or enchanted window displays, but the coffee is not too bad.
