wah Taj!

It was a pilgrimage of sorts to Taj Mahal.Twenty eight years to the day, I had gone there with my mom and we had a wonderful snap of the two of the us with the customery backdrop of the Taj, couretesy an ubiquitous photographer there.I had the digicam with me this time, but mommie was 1800 kilometres away but emotionally very much next to me.
No, the Taj has remained as I remembered it, as stunning, as beautiful as before,never mind the story of it not being as white as before.With the backdrop of a sky swollen with monsoon clouds, the ethereal beauty of an offwhite Taj was worth more than a visit.
The spectacular scene is when it suddenly appears when you turn into the gateway;you did not half expect it so soon. Is it the power of white which gives it such an arresting look, you wonder; because you see similar structure with domes any number of times all over delhi, agra and other spots. Is it the great expanse of no structure in the vicinity and the really tall domes that give it its uniqueness?Is it the intricate inlay work from red and orange stones, brought in all the way from South Africa, that lends its charm?Is it the immortal love story that tugs at our hearts as we look at it?
For me it has been the quietly flowing Yamuna by its side and the majestic structure in white standing guard;the combination touches something deep and i am still figuring out what it is. Mommy keeps telling me that i sat on the banks of the Yamuna and spent more time looking at the waters and the environment than oozing over the Taj.This time i could not do that, as yamuna is nicely fenced off. But the misty clouds as the backdrop and the rising spire amidst the yamuna did hold me in a trance this time.
I got trigger happy and slightly mad.But no regrets.