Poor Indians have survived one more terrorist attack. This time target was Mumbai, the most populated financial captial of India. There were a series of ten coordinated attacks on 26 November 2008 and ended on 29 November 2008 when Indian security forces finally regained control of all attack sites. In three days, around 200 people, including 22 foreigners have been killed and more than 400 have been injured. What I feel the possible reason of this attack is to check the growth of Indian economy. India’s economic growth has been the envy of nations like Pakistan and the attack could have been an attempt to divert the world’s attention from India’s growth and development.
Eight attacks took place in South Mumbai: at the crowded Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station; at two five-star hotels: the Oberoi Trident at Nariman Point, and Taj Mahal Palace & Tower near the Gateway of India; at the Leopold Café, a popular tourist restaurant in Colaba; at the Cama Hospital; at the Orthodox Jewish-owned Nariman House; at the Metro Adlabs movie theatre; and at the Mumbai Police Headquarters where at least three high-level officers, including the chief of the Anti Terrorism Squad of Maharashtra, were killed by gunfire. There was also an explosion at Mazagaon docks in Mumbai’s port area. The tenth incident involved a taxi blast at Vile Parle near the airport but it is uncertain whether this is connected with the South Mumbai attacks. It was a well-planned terrorist attack. The aim of this attack was to kill more than 5000 innocent people but thanks to out security forces and Mumbai Police who quicly controlled the situation and finally arrested and killed most of the terrorists. A less know terrorist gang, Deccan Mujahideen has claimed responsibility of this attack by email sent to news organizations. This email came from Pakistan. So the investigators are saying that this attack has its connection in Pakistan. According to recent police reports, the one terrorist who was captured alive disclosed that the attackers belonged to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba Islamist group.
After the attack, all schools, colleges, and most offices, including the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange remained closed on 27 November 2008. Shooting of Bollywood films and TV serials were also stopped. Many international airlines temporarily discontinued operations to Mumbai. The two remaining one-day internationals of the seven match series between the visiting England cricket team and India were canceled. Today, Shivraj Patil, the home minister of India has resigned taking moral responsibility for the security lapse.
So, What Next ?
Indian should attack Pakistan and end all sort of terrorist activities in Pak-occupied Kashmir. At this moment, this is not viable solution. US will never support India in such a situation. Also there are chances of nuclear war. But then what is the solution? You have any idea. Post your comment.
So the economic meltdown is showing its impact in India also. As according to latest Forbes report, 27 Indians have been moved out of India’s billionaires club. Now we have only 27 billionaires as compared to 54 billionaires in 2007. In 2006, India had 36 billionaires. The honeymoon is over for Indian economy. Indian economy has really bad time. Stock market has fallen by 48 per cent in the 12 months, Indian rupee is depreciated by 24 % against the dollar and GDP(gross domestic product growth) is expected to decrease to 7.5 %. The combined wealth of India’s 40 wealthiest people slumped 60 % to $139 billion which was $351 billion a year ago.
Lakshmi Mittal of Mittal Steel has lost his top position to Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries Ltd. Anil Ambani is the third richest Indian. So the top ten richest Indians are
Few days back I predicted that soon one dollar would become equal to 50 rupees. Just after one week, my prediction became correct. Now one US dollar is around 50 rupees. Now I think it is right time to tell you the history of Indian currency, rupee. The origin of the word “rupee” is found in the Sanskrit word rup or rupyah, which means “wrought silver,” originally “something provided with an image, a coin,” from rupah “shape, likeness, image.” Before independence, India was a land of hundreds of princely states. They used to run their own coins and currency notes.
After Independence in 1947, the Indian government brought out the new design Re. 1 note in 1949. The Lion Capital of Asoka was used for the design of that note.
Devaluation of Rupee started in 1960s due to war with China and Pakistan, large government budget deficits and drought there was problem of inflation in India. There was sharp rise in prices. So Indian Government was forced to start some liberal policies to stabilize the economy which finally resulted into huge devaluation of Rupee.
During mid eighties, India started having balance of payments problems and by the end of 1990, India was in serious economic trouble. Our foreign exchange reserves had dried up to the point that India could barely finance three weeks’ worth of imports. Once again, the government decided to devaluate the Rupee. By the start of 21st century, the Rupee stopped declining and stabilized at 45. However in mid-2007, the rupee started gaining strength one dollar came below 40 Rupees. Now again due to recent economic crisis in world economy, one dollar has started touching the historical figure of 50 Rupees.
Through this post I am sharing the most viewed YouTube video in India. This video is on Tsunami. A tsunami is a series of waves created when a body of water, such as an ocean, is rapidly displaced. The effects of a tsunami can be devastating due to the immense volumes of water and energy involved. Check out the effect of tsunami in this video.
I am not joking. It is now possible to get a free laptop in India. Just you need to get an internet connection. Reliance Communication has launched a nice plan for internet users. Just subscribe to their net connection for Rs 1500 every month only and get a free laptop. Moreover, there will not be any hidden cost. You will have to pay this amount only for two years and the laptop will be yours. For giving free laptop to its internet users, Reliance Communications has done strategic agreement with five leading laptop manufacturers of India - HCL, Intel, Acer, Asus and Lenovo. According to company’s spokesperson more details regarding availability, schemes and pricing are expected to be released shortly.
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The growth of Internet services in India is one of the key visions of Reliance Communications. The next phase of growth of Internet penetration in the country is linked to the growth in PC and Laptop penetration offering an opportunity to empower all Indians by making the overall cost of Internet access more affordable,” said Mahesh Prasad, President - Reliance Communications.
Reliance NetConnect is India’s one of the leading wireless internet service providers,with over One Million customers, available across 20,000 towns and 4.5 lakh Indian villages. I am very happy with this new plan of Reliance, this will definitely boost the growth of internet users in India.
Few days back I got a phone call from my friend and he told me that he lost 300,000 Rupees in share market in last one month. I said to him don’t worry, see top 10 Indian business tycoons, they have lost 139 billion US dollars. All these losses whether for small investors like my friend and giants like Mukesh, Anil, K. P Singh etc is due to recent economic crisis or better say economic depression. According to Economic Times, this amount is equivalent to around 16% of India’s gross domestic product(GDP) and more than the combined GDP of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Actually, India’s top billionaires have lost more than 60% of their wealth since January 2008.
Now India’s top 10 business houses are now worth $84 billion (Rs 4.1 lakh crore) compared with $223 billion (over Rs 10 lakh crore) in January 2008.
So who all are biggest losers?
* Anil Ambani’s total wealth is now worth $12.9 billion against $45.1 billion in January this year. * Mukesh lost 54% of his money. * Unitech’s Ramesh Chandra lost 85%. * DLF’s chief K. P Singh has now only $ 9 billion against $35 in January 2008. * Bharti Airtel’s Sunil Mittal lost 31% money.
If you have already invested in share market, mutual funds etc and lost a good amount of money then these figures will give you some relief and you will start thinking that you are the only loser.
Today one dollar is equal to 48.8 rupees. Very soon it will become 50 rupees. Then it will be very easy for Indian bloggers to calculate their income in Indian Rupees. Do you know why it is happening? Before writing this post, I also have not much idea on this point but I searched many finance related websites on Google and get the reasons behind this depreciation of Rupee against dollar. These days there has been increased demand for dollars due to a spurt in oil prices.
As a result of this foriegn exchange is flowing from India. Another main reason is that foreign investors sold more Indian shares than they bought. The recent downfall in Indian share markets also added more flavor to this issue. What has happened to growing Indian economy? Depreciation in Rupee, decreasing sensex, layoffs in big companies. I am worried, what about you?
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone is reported to have confirmed India will be added to the race calendar in 2011. Ecclestone also hinted that Russia may get an event in the near future.
"In Russia we have two or three open options," Ecclestone told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
"The first regards Moscow obviously. But it is not the time to think about a date.
"Then there is India and here I can say that the race will be on the calendar in 2011."
For 2009 Canada lost its place on the calendar while Abu Dhabi was added as the season-ending race.
Consequently North America will have no race at all after the American Grand Prix was axed last year.
"America works differently," added Ecclestone. "Certain world events such as Formula One in some countries or Olympic Games are financed by the state.
"But in America they are organised by private entities who want to profit before the race is held. That is too much." Following the success of Formula One's first-ever night race in Singapore two weeks ago there have been suggestions more night races could be added to the calendar.
But Ecclestone confirmed that Singapore will remain the only race under lights in 2009 while adding there is no reason for a European race to be held at night.
"A GP in Singapore was born from the requirement to have a race that was at an acceptable time to watch in Europe," he added.
"All GPs in that part of the world could in theory be moved to night (races) but in 2009 there will be just Singapore.
"In Europe I do not see any reason for a race to be held after sunset."
The quest to create an Indian Grand Slam singles title winner led to the launch of the Apollo Mission 2018 on May 23, 2007 by the Apollo Tyres Limited. The idea was to select the best young tennis talents in the country and give them world-class training – mentally and physically - under one roof to ensure that they could bridge the gap between potential champions and champions. The training and grooming of the selected candidates will be under the guidance of India’s tennis Ace Mahesh Bhupathi, who is the brand ambassador consultant for the project.
In the first year of the initiative, Apollo Tyres Ltd held four tennis clinics – in Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata and the national finals in New Delhi. About 4000 children in the ages of five to 14 were assessed in the two-month long process in the winter months of November and December.
The panel of judges consisted of tennis stalwarts like Mahesh Bhupathi, his father and coach C G K Bhupathi, former India No. 1 and Davis Cupper Prahlad Srinath, India’s Davis Cup coach and Arjuna Awardee Sandeep Kirtane, international physical trainer Heath Mathews and eminent physiotherapist Tony Beecroft.
Thirty-two children made it to the national finals in New Delhi of which 15 were finally inducted in the Foundation for Indian Sporting Talent (FIST) Academy tennis programme under the aegis of the Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academy in Bangalore. The other 17 children were awarded a two-week scholarship at the Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academy.
Apart from training at the academy by top notch coaches and trainers, the selected 15 will also will play select tournaments in India and abroad to gain valuable match experience. In the first year of Mission 2018, 15 talented youngsters, of which seven are girls, were enrolled into the programme that started in April 2008. The youngest member of this group is five-year-old Rohan Mehra, while Saurabh Singh at 14 is the eldest.
The BCCI asserted that the serial blasts in Delhi will have no bearing on the upcoming Test tour by Australia in October. The Board reiterated that the tour would go ahead as scheduled. After the capital was rocked by a series of five blasts last evening, Cricket Australia (CA) said it was considering the option of sending a security team to India before taking a call on the four-Test tour next month.
BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah, however, asserted there was no threat to the tour.
"I have not heard about any communication from Australia and I don't think there will be any change to the tour schedule," Shah said.
"I hope Australia also understands our position. The situation is normal and the Australian tour to India will go as per schedule," he said.
On CA's plan to send a security team to India, Shah said, "If there are any concerns, a security team will come. I don't think there will be any problem in Australia coming to India."
Cricket Australia will commission an urgent report from its long-term security adviser outlining the safety situation in India following a series of bomb blasts in New Delhi on Saturday that killed more than 20 people. The city is the venue for Australia's third Test, starting on October 29, and the terrorist attacks raise more safety issues after they decided not to tour Pakistan this month for the Champions Trophy, a stance which led to the postponement of the tournament.
Reg Dickason, the team's security manager, will work on the report with the Australian Cricketers' Association and Peter Young, Cricket Australia's public affairs manager, said he expected a decision would be made "in the next week or so". Michael Brown, Cricket Australia's general manager of cricket, will also speak with the Indian board, the Australian High Commission, which is based in New Delhi, and security agencies to gain information on travelling in the country. "The fundamental principle that always comes first is the safety of the team and the team officials," Young said. "There's a standard process for every tour. Such is the way of the world these days that this process is completed before we go anywhere." A pre-tour assessment has already been done but if the concerns remain Cricket Australia will consider another inspection.
While the first Test is not until October 9 in Bangalore, the 15-man squad is due to leave next Sunday and play two warm-up matches in Jaipur and Hyderabad. Australia A are currently in Hyderabad, about 1500km south of New Delhi, preparing for a tri-series with teams from India and New Zealand.
Niranjan Shah, the secretary of the Indian board, said the BCCI was concerned by the explosions. "But I don't think it will have any impact on the coming Australia series," he told the Hindustan Times.
One of Cricket Australia's main reasons for its stance on Pakistan for the Champions Trophy and the earlier Test and one-day series, which were also postponed, was the terrorist threats to westerners. "The specific answer we were given on Pakistan was that it was not safe to go," Young said. "We will take advice on this situation and will make a decision. We expect that to be in the next week or so."
The Australian government's updated travel advice for India is "to exercise a high degree of caution because of the high risk of terrorist activity by militant groups". The latest attacks were reportedly planned by the Indian Mujahideen group, but there have been other deadly explosions since May in Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Bangalore.
Indian dope testing laboratory's long wait for a seal of approval from the World-Anti Doping Agency is likely to be over next week.
"WADA has an executive committee meeting coming up in Montreal on September 20 where our dope lab is going to get the accreditation," IOA general secretary Randhir Singh told PTI.
He along with Athletics Federation of India secretary Lalit Bhanot and Anil Khanna, President Asian Tennis Federation, were part of the dignitaries at the recent India Sports Marketing Forum.
Taking a dig at corporate houses, all three felt money being pumped into sports is a mere pittance.
"Big business houses only talk about promoting sports haven't done much," said Randhir, who is also the vice-chairman of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
He also hoped that a successful organising of the Commonwealth Games will support India's bid for the 2020 Olympics. "But for that we also have to win medals." With the centre allocating Rs 700 crore for athletes' training for the 2010 Games, Bhanot felt they were on the right track.
"The 2010 Games is going to boost the country's sporting scenario," said Bhanot, secretary-general of the Commonwealth Games.
Khanna felt there's lot other disciplines can learn from the Indian Premier League. "Tennis too needs restructuring. Today only the top players are earning while those outside the top-100 have to fend for themselves."
Five suspected bomb blasts have been reported within minutes of each other in markets in India's capital, Delhi.
At least seven people were killed in the attacks, police said, while at least 30 people are reported hurt.
The explosions are not thought to have been very powerful but they happened in areas crowded with evening shoppers.
The exact cause of the blasts is not known but bombs are suspected. Crude explosives have been detonated in several Indian cities recently.
More than 400 people have died in separate attacks since October 2005, with the cities of Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Jaipur among those hit.
India has blamed Islamist militant groups for these previous bombings.
CNN-IBN, a local TV news channel, said it had received an email before the blasts from a group calling itself the "Indian Mujahideen".
"Do whatever you can. Stop us if you can," the e-mail reportedly said.
The same group has claimed responsibility for two other recent bombing attacks.
Chaotic scenes
Two of the latest blasts in Delhi are believed to have happened metres away from each other in the central shopping district of Connaught Place.
Another blast took place in a market in the Greater Kailash area in south Delhi.
A BBC producer who visited the scene said a low-intensity explosion had scattered glass over a large area, near a popular cafe.
Two of the other explosions were reported in Delhi's Karol Bagh area and on the Barakhamba Road.
An unexploded bomb was reportedly found and defused at the capital's India Gate monument, local TV quoted police as saying.
Television pictures showed scenes of chaos at the blast scenes. Crowds have been seen milling around mangled vehicles, with debris and bloodstains scattered across the streets.
After the bombings in Jaipur and Bangalore, a group calling itself the Indian Mujahideen also claimed responsibility.
While it is too early to say exactly what caused Saturday's blasts in Delhi, they appear similar to the earlier attacks.
The earlier attacks involved multiple small devices hidden in small boxes or bags and aimed at soft targets such as crowded markets, analysts say.
The devices contained shrapnel such as nuts, bolt and ball bearings while the explosives used were improvised. Islamic militants in Kashmir have tended to use military-grade explosives.
A bad news for cigarettes smokers in India. Government of India has decided to ban smoking in in all public places from 2nd October, Gandhi Jayanti. Now you can’t smoke in hotels, restaurants, offices, public gatherings etc. Moreover, if you get caught while smoking, then a fine of Rs 200 would be imposed. The health ministry has also plans to increase the fine to Rs 1000 after some time. Even if the employer will be fined if their employees are found smoking inside office premises. Smokers will also be fined for lighting up their cigarettes in even pubs, bars and discotheques. Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss is the brain behind all these new measures. He has already banned smoking in India movies.
I feel that the idea behind this ban is to discourage smoking by making it more inconvenient, and to stop harmful smoke being present in enclosed public spaces. According to WHO reports, in developed countries, 26% of male deaths and 9% of female deaths are due to smoking. So time has come to say no to Smoking.
India has stepped up its efforts to assist half a million people displaced by severe flooding in Bihar state.
Reports say the military has poured fresh troops, doctors and medical equipment into the devastated north.
Tens of thousands of survivors have crowded into unsanitary relief camps, where tensions are growing over the desperate lack of emergency supplies.
Monsoon rains caused a river to change course cutting across Bihar, affecting areas not normally prone to floods.
At least 75 people have been killed in Bihar - but officials have warned that the death toll could climb once the situation in remote areas becomes clear.
Reports suggest that some villages have simply been washed away by strong currents.
In the north-eastern state of Assam, monsoon rains have caused the Brahmaputra river to burst its banks, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.
More than 100 villages have been completely submerged in the past 24 hours, officials said.
Across the border in Nepal, tens of thousands of people have also been displaced. Disorganisation
More than half a million people have been evacuated from the disaster zone, and officials hope to rescue the other 500,000 in the next few days, disaster management officials said.
The military said it was sending thousands more troops as well as helicopters and boats to Bihar, which is one of India's poorest states.
Uncertainty in India flood camp How we rescued survivors In pictures: Flood rescue effort See how the river changed course
With the numbers of people in the camps expected to nearly double in the coming days, there are fears that poor conditions could lead to outbreaks of diseases such as cholera.
The United Nations warned that "the heat, combined with limited supplies of safe drinking water and poor hygiene conditions, poses a great risk of water and vector-borne diseases".
The temporary camps are being supported by volunteers and community groups, but a lack of central co-ordination is hampering efforts.
Visiting the Bageecha relief camp in Purnea, the BBC's Sanjoy Majumder could find no camp co-ordinator or government official in charge of distributing aid.
Trucks and vans carrying aid stood parked on the highway as volunteers waited to be organised, he said.
The situation was symptomatic of what was happening across Bihar's flood-affected areas, our correspondent says. Massive costs
The disaster began on 18 August when a dam burst on the Saptakoshi river in Nepal.
The Saptakoshi, which becomes the Kosi when it enters India, subsequently broke its banks in Bihar.
Officials in Nepal say hundreds of people there have been hit by illnesses such as diarrhoea and pneumonia, and an estimated 50,000 are homeless.
They say nearly 1,000 houses have been completely destroyed, and that power supplies and transport have been severely affected.
The costs to the economy are now estimated at one billion Nepalese rupees ($14.25m).
Customers can now connect to powerful BlackBerry services on select Sony Ericsson, Motorola and Asus handsets.
BPL Mobile and Research In Motion have announced the availability of BlackBerry Connect software v4.0 on a range of handsets from BPL Mobile in India. With the BlackBerry Connect software, users will be able to access BlackBerry services with support for BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry Internet Service.
“We are delighted to extend the choice of smartphones supporting the powerful BlackBerry wireless solution,” said Sunzay Passari, vice president, VAS and devices, BPL Mobile. “BlackBerry Connect software enables users to enhance their mobile communications and productivity by connecting to the feature-rich and sophisticated BlackBerry services.”
“The popularity of the BlackBerry solution continues to grow in India and around the world as customers embrace its many communications, productivity and convenience benefits,” said Frenny Bawa, vice president, India, Research In Motion. “We’re very pleased to be working with BPL Mobile to provide BlackBerry Connect to customers in India with a broad choice of handsets.”
BlackBerry Connect software provides support for 'push'-based wireless e-mail access, wireless e-mail reconciliation and attachment viewing.
Additional features supported by BlackBerry Connect v4.0 on BlackBerry Enterprise Server include: integration with IBM Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange and Novell GroupWise to enable secure,push-based wireless access to e-mail and other corporate data; complete, two-way wireless synchronisation of e-mail, calendar, address book and task information; enhanced attachment handling capabilities, enabling users to view images, footnotes and tracked changes; remote look-up of corporate e-mail address directory; triple DES or AES wireless encryption; Internet and corporate intranet access via the BlackBerry Mobile Data System; wireless device provisioning to allow devices to be activated wirelessly; remote control of e-mail settings to allow users to wirelessly configure out-of-office replies, e-mail filters and auto-signatures directly from their device; and wireless IT policy enforcement and commands.
Click here for a complete listing of the handsets from BPL Mobile for which BlackBerry Connect is available and from where customers can download the software.
India hopes to launch its maiden mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-I, this year, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Friday.
"This year we hope to send an Indian spacecraft, Chandrayaan, to the moon," Singh said in his Independence Day address to the nation from the rampart of the majestic Red Fort.
Singh said the launch of Chandrayaan will be an important milestone in the development of the country's space programme.
The unmanned mission, which will orbit the moon for two years, is expected to be launched in October by indigenously developed Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.
Space scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have completed the integration of the 11 instruments -- six indigenous and five under international cooperation -- onto the spacecraft.
The spacecraft, which is no bigger than a typical office cubicle, is currently undergoing tests for its ability to handle the extreme thermal and vacuum environment experienced in a lunar orbit. These assessments will be followed by vibration and acoustic tests.
Meanwhile, India has already begun work on the next lunar mission in which space scientists plan to land a rover on the surface on the moon to collect rock and dust samples.
Chandrayaan-II will be developed as a joint venture project with Russia and a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed in that regard.
So the big time has come. Apple’s iPhone is going to be launched today. Now for the first time iPhone will be available in world’s fastest growing mobile market. But do you know why iPhone is so hot. Actually, it an Internet-enabled multimedia smart phone developed by Apple. It has a multi-touch screen with virtual keyboard and buttons, but a minimal amount of hardware input. The iPhone’s functions include those of a camera phone and portable media player (iPod) in addition to text messaging and visual voice mail. It also offers Internet services including e-mail, web browsing, and local Wi-Fi connectivity. Now from today, you can buy iPhone in India. It is now available in six cities: New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Pune, Jaipur and Chennai.
In India, Airtel and Vodafone Essar will sell the phone for around 31,000 rupees (712 dollars) for the 8 GB memory model, and 36,100 for the 16 GB model. With limited stocks, to make sure that you get yours you need to pay an advance of Rs 10,000 to confirm your booking. What I think, this price is too much from the point of view of Indian market. Whereas In US, the iPhone users have to pay only 199 $ to AT&T for using iPhone. This is because of AT&T’s subsidy policy. This company subsidizes the phone and make profit by tying the mobile phone users to annual subscriptions.
Airtel and Vodafone should also try to implement this business plan. With prices more than 30,000 rupees, I don’t think the iPhone will be able to hit the middle class market of India. However Airtel and Vodafone are confident that they would find buyers in India despite the high price.
Unheralded Sushil Kumar rose from obscurity to find a place in the history of Indian sport when he won a bronze medal in men's 66kg freestyle wrestling at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday. Vijender Kumar ensured India of its Third individual medal by entering the Semi final bout of the 75Kg Boxing event at the Beijing Olympics. He played against the Cuban boxer today in the Semifinals and lost 8-5 in the four rounds. He has secured the bronze medal, the third medal so far for India. He played a very defensive game against the Cuban who was very aggressive and was attacking Vijender and getting points in every round. Vijender did his best to defend himself and played a good game, but lost the bout.
He has made all the Indians proud with his feat of reaching this far and getting the Bronze medal home. Whole of India was tuned into the television channels to watch the bout live, including Bhiwani, the place where he trained to be a boxer and where his parents stay.
BBC says about Taj Mahal---Hidden Truth - Never say it is a Tomb
Aerial view of the Taj Mahal The interior water well Frontal view of the Taj Mahal and dome Close up of the dome with pinnacle Close up of the pinnacle Inlaid pinnacle pattern in courtyard Red lotus at apex of the entrance Rear view of the Taj & 22 apartments View of sealed doors & windows in back Typical Vedic style corridors The Music House--a contradiction A locked room on upper floor A marble apartment on ground floor The OM in the flowers on the walls Staircase that leads to the lower levels 300 foot long corridor inside apartments One of the 22 rooms in the secret lower level Interior of one of the 22 secret rooms Interior of another of the locked room Vedic design on ceiling of a locked room Huge ventilator sealed shut with bricks Secret walled door that leads to other rooms Secret bricked door that hides more evidence Palace in Barhanpur where Mumtaz died Pavilion where Mumtaz is said to be buried NOW READ THIS.......
No one has ever challenged it except Prof. P. N. Oak, who believes the whole world has been duped. In his book Taj Mahal: The True Story, Oak says the Taj Mahal is not Queen Mumtaz's tomb but an ancient Hindu temple palace of Lord Shiva (then known as Tejo Mahalaya ) . In the course of his research O ak discovered that the Shiva temple palace was usurped by Shah Jahan from then Maharaja of Jaipur, Jai Singh. In his own court ch ronicle, Badshahnama, Shah Jahan admits that an exceptionally beautiful grand mansion in Agra was taken from Jai SIngh for Mumtaz's burial . The ex-Maharaja of Jaipur still retains in his secret collection two orders from Shah Jahan for surrendering the Taj building. Using captured temples and mansions, as a burial place for dead courtiers and royalty was a common practice among Muslim rulers.
For example, Humayun,Akbar, Etmud-ud-Daula and Safdarjung are all buried in such mansions. Oak's inquiries began with the name of Taj Mahal. He says
the term " Mahal " has never been used for a building in any Muslim countries from Afghanisthan to Algeria . "The unusual explanation that the term Taj Mahal derives from Mumtaz Mahal was illogical in atleast two respects.
Firstly, her name was never Mumtaz Mahal but Mumtaz-ul-Zamani," he writes. Secondly, one cannot omit the first three letters 'Mum' from a woman's name to derive the remainder as the name for the building."Taj Mahal, he claims, is a corrupt version of Tejo Mahalaya, or Lord Shiva's Palace . Oak also says the love story of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan is a fairy tale cre ated by court sycophants, blundering historians and sloppy archaeologists Not a single royal chronicle of Shah Jahan's time corroborates the love story.
Furthermore, Oak cites several documents suggesting the Taj Mahal predates Shah Jahan's era, and was a temple dedicated to Shiva, worshipped by Rajputs of Agra city. For example, Prof. Marvin Miller of New York took a few samples from the riverside doorway of the Taj. Carbon dating tests revealed that the door was 300 years older than Shah Jahan. European traveler Johan Albert Mandelslo,who visited Agra in 1638 (only seven years after Mumtaz's death), describes the life of the cit y in his memoirs. But he makes no reference to the Taj Mahal being built. The writings of Peter Mundy, an English visitor to Agra within a year of Mumtaz's death, also suggest the Taj was a noteworthy building well before Shah Jahan's time.
Prof. Oak points out a number of design and architectural inconsistencies that support the belief of the Taj Mahal being a typical Hindu temple rather than a mausoleum. Many rooms in the Taj ! Mahal have remained sealed since Shah Jahan's time and are still inaccessible to the public . Oak asserts they contain a headless statue of Lord Shiva and other objects commonly used for worship rituals in Hindu temples Fearing political backlash, Indira Gandhi's government t ried to have Prof. Oak's book withdrawn from the bookstores, and threatened the Indian publisher of the first edition dire consequences . There is only one way to discredit or validate Oak's research.
The current government should open the sealed rooms of the Taj Ma hal under U.N. supervision, and let international experts investigate.
Hmmm... bout me...
am a straight 4ward practical guy wud do wat ever i think(hop i never get in2 bad ideas) n hardly gets in2 others words.... vl do nythin 4 ma dignity n never wanna let it down.. vl try ma best 2 do my fullest 2 ma friens.. mainly never like n likes 2 b betrayed! vl luv 2 hav fun.. n pals try 2 adjus wit me if u can.... lolz...
