This cricketer proposed at the Taj Mahal 💌 | #240
+ Aamir Khan's The Godfather!
Friends,
Valentine's Day has more origin stories than a comic book superhero. Some say it was a Roman fertility festival. Some talk about one St Valentine dying for love. Or it just might have been cooked up by Hallmark to boost their top line revenue.
We take the opportunity this week to talk about a famous symbol of love - The Taj Mahal. The queen Mumtaz Mahal passed away, after giving birth to her 14th child, and the king Shah Jahan commissioned a monument dedicated to her. Today’s newsletter is a dedication to this dedication.
And we’re also going to sneak in this V-Day joke:
What do you call a group of people celebrating Valentine’s Day?
Love Day Cabal
Things we learnt this week 🤓
The Taj Mahal is an architectural marvel that rests on a unique foundation of ebony wood - a dense and durable material. This wood requires constant moisture to maintain its structural integrity, preventing it from contracting or expanding. Ingeniously, the foundation was built near the Yamuna River to ensure a steady supply of water to the wood. For centuries, this design has supported the immense weight of the Taj Mahal's superstructure. However, there are recent concerns due to the Yamuna's declining water levels. If the river were to dry up completely, the ebony foundation could deteriorate, potentially destabilizing the monument. This dependency highlights both the brilliance and vulnerability of the Taj Mahal's construction. Genuinely to the architects who thought of this - Wah Taj boliye!
Mr 360 AB De Villiers is known for his innovative batting, but the South African legend orchestrated a romantic and meticulously planned proposal in front of the iconic monument of love. Ahead of the IPL season, AB secretly arranged photographers and videographers disguised as "security guards" to capture the moment. Danielle, his girlfriend at the time, had no idea what was coming as they toured the Taj Mahal, only to be surprised by a heartfelt proposal. De Villiers later described it as a "very special time" in his life, with the Taj Mahal providing a perfect backdrop for this unforgettable moment. Playing those scoop shots down on one knee might have helped him out here.
How much would the Taj Mahal cost? In the 1830s, Lord William Bentinck, Governor-General of British India, proposed dismantling the Taj Mahal to sell its marble in London—a shocking plan that nearly materialized. Struggling to balance the East India Company’s finances, Bentinck first tested this idea by auctioning marble from Agra Fort’s Shahi Hammam. The sale flopped, fetching only £500, and even sparked outrage among British officials. Contemporary accounts, including Fanny Parks’ travelogue and a Calcutta newspaper article, confirm that bids were invited for the Taj’s marble. Seth Laxmichand Jain, a wealthy banker, reportedly offered Rs 2 lakhs initially and later Rs 7 lakhs. However, public backlash and fears of communal unrest halted the plan. While historians long dismissed this as hearsay, modern research and archival evidence suggest otherwise.
From IWTK, with love 💌
We are in a world of censorship with Samay Raina getting into trouble. Here’s Tanmay Bhat recalling when he ran into similar trouble.
Imagine The Godfather being made in India with Aamir Khan as Michael Corleone. Well, it was actually made.
Only In India 🇮🇳
Traffic in Bangalore is absolute Wurst. There must be a German word to describe this situation.
💟 IWTK