By Brij Khandelwal, IANS
Agra : Agra mayor Anjula Singh is jubilant about the Taj Mahal making it to the new seven wonders of the world list but is hurt at the indifference of India's tourism industry and the attitude of Indian embassy officials in Lisbon when she went to receive the prestigious award.
"I am undoubtedly on top of the world with this greatest honour for the Taj Mahal which is a matter of pride for not just Agra residents but for all Indians and people of Indian origin who voted the Mughal monument to the wonders' list," Singh told IANS on return to Agra where she got a hero's welcome.
She pointed out that, according to data available in Lisbon, people in Agra and Uttar Pradesh as a whole had not voted in large numbers but support poured in for the Taj from across India and Indians living abroad.
The seven wonders list was compiled through a global poll participated in by at least 100 million votes cast through Internet, telephone and SMS campaign. A private body called the New7Wonders Foundation had carried out the global campaign and the new world wonders were announced July 7 at a glitzy ceremony in Lisbon.
Though leading historians and citizens' groups had called the whole exercise phoney and a money-making gimmick, Singh definitely thinks otherwise.
"They all tried to take away the pleasure and excitement of the well-deserved victory by calling it a phoney and unofficial contest. This is indeed a huge achievement and there's nothing unofficial about it. In an open democratic society people have a right to vote out governments and ministers and take history-making decisions. So if people from across the world want to express their opinion through the latest technology, I think it should be welcomed and accepted," Singh opined.
However, the mayor could not hide her disappointment with India's tourism industry.
"No one from the industry turned up to wish me good luck. They didn't even provide me mementoes or literature that I could have presented to people from across the world present there. I didn't have anything to present to the Portuguese top brass while representatives from other countries had come prepared and were backed by their respective official organisations," she lamented.
"The tourism industry stands to benefit so much from this honour but they virtually ignored me. The trip was financed by my husband's hard earned money. The promoters invited me in my capacity as the mayor of Agra. And after it became known that the Taj would make it, embassy officials tried to jump on the bandwagon."
Singh is extremely upset with the behaviour of the Indian embassy in Lisbon during the ceremony and especially when she was robbed of her mobile phone and purse on the streets of Lisbon.
"The Indian ambassador in Lisbon did not have a word of sympathy when my mobile was snatched. All she said was, 'good you didn't resist, they could have stabbed you or something worse could have happened'," Singh alleged.
She was further miffed when the ambassador came forward to receive the award at the function held at the Benfica Stadium in Lisbon and hosted by celebrities including actors Hillary Swank, Ben Kingsley and Bollywood star Bipasha Basu.
"When it was not an official award why did she came forward to receive the award, pushing me into the background? It was Bipasha who called me forward to join the ceremony.
According to the ambassador, Tourism Minister Ambika Soni had asked her to collect the award and send it to the ministry, said Singh. "I protested and said it was meant for the city of the Taj Mahal and I would first go to Agra with it. They could collect it for the ministry from me later if they wanted. I don't understand their double standards," she remarked.
"I felt that the embassy left me in the lurch in Lisbon. But all that is past and I now look forward to making Agra worthy of the Taj Mahal."
Singh then urged the tourism industry to come forward and cash in on Taj Mahal's new-found glory and make Agra a better place to attract more visitors.
Tourism ministry officials were not immediately available for comment.
(Brij Khandelwal can be contacted at [email protected])