SAJAforum

BANGLADESH: Building a Bangla version of India's Taj Mahal

Given all the attention to Mumbai's Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Hotel during the November terrorist attacks, it would be fair to say that for the first time in its existence, the actual Taj Mahal was overshadowed by one of its many namesakes (in this case, for all the wrong reasons, of course). 

In addition to those namesakes (see the Wikipedia disambiguation), there's now a replica of the Agra wonder being built in Bangladesh.

Ahsanullah Moni, a Bangladeshi filmmaker, is the man behind the $58 million project to construct a Taj-like structure 18 miles northeast of capital, Dhaka. This project, which started in 2003, is built using marble and granite from Italy and diamonds from Belgium.

According to the Guardian, Moni said he is building the replica for the people of Bangladesh who cannot afford to travel to see the monument. The United Nations Human Development Report 2007/08 ranks Bangladesh as 140th out of 177 countries in its Human Development Index.

"I am doing this only for the poor. They cannot travel. They cannot see this historical wonder," said Moni. "I also hope the landmark construction can attract more tourists from home and abroad."

While the Bangladeshi director seems happy with his project, neighboring India has voiced its concerns.

According to the AFP, the Indian Embassy in Bangladesh has said it would investigate to see if any copyright laws have been breached.

"You can't just go and copy historical monuments," fumed a spokesman at the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.

"Someone will go out there and have a look. The reports we are reading say it is an exact replica. This is a protected site we are talking about so we need to find out if it really is the exact size," he told AFP.

Moni isn't the only one in the Taj replica business. Lego has its own Taj replica product:

Build the breathtaking Taj Mahal!
The famous Taj Mahal jewel of India is known all over the globe for its incredible beauty and elegance. Now you can recreate this modern wonder of the world for yourself! Designed for experienced builders, the LEGO Taj Mahal model features advanced building techniques, rare elements and colors, and realistic details of architecture. With over 5,900 pieces, the Taj Mahal makes an awesome addition to any LEGO collection!

Earlier on SAJAforum:

• Taj Mahal makes list of "7 New Wonders of the World"
• American Dollars "No Good" at the Taj Mahal

What do YOU think? Post your comments below.

ARTS: Bhutanese art exhibit in Honolulu

The Honolulu Academy of Arts in Hawaii has put together a three month-long exhibition - "The Dragon's Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan" - where over 100 sacred items from Bhutan (which are on loan to the Academy by Bhutanese government) will be put on display.

From the exhibition website:

Visual expressions of Buddhism from Bhutan on view in the exhibition include painted and textile thangkas, sculptures, and ritual items. Works of art date from the 8th century to the 20th century, with especially strong examples of painting and sculpture from the 17th through the 19th centuries, a golden age in the Buddhist art of Bhutan. Works in The Dragon’s Gift were selected for outstanding aesthetic accomplishment and wide iconographic scope. Nearly all of the items in the exhibition required conservation. The Academy-led conservation program has already restored hundreds of works of art and is training a new generation of conservators, primarily monks charged with the responsibility of caring for sacred objects.

Here is an article from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin about the exhibition, which will include some of the oldest masterpieces from Bhutan's old Buddhist monasteries.

"Because the art of Bhutan is so poorly published, ours is the first attempt at presenting the kingdom's art history," says Stephen Little, director of the Honolulu Academy of Arts, which organized the exhibit over a five-year period beginning in 2003. "When we started, we didn't know what would be in the show. We didn't know what was there. We were starting from scratch."

The exhibition is also planned for New York, San Francisco and couple of other international cities.

For more information on the gallery, exhibition and Buddhist art, click here.

BUSINESS: American Dollars "No Good" at the Taj Mahal

There was a time when historical and architectural venues in South Asia worshipped the American dollar. But not anymore.

The Taj Mahal and several other tourist sites in India will not be accepting dollars anymore.

From the International Herald Tribune:

"For years tourists visiting most sites in India were charged either $5, or 250 rupees.

After falling 11 percent in 2007, hitting nine-year lows to hoover around 39 rupees, the dollar is out.

Charging only rupees now seems more practical and will save tourists money because "the dollar was weaker against the rupee," Tourism Minister Ambika Soni told the CNN-IBN news channel."

Bloomberg writes that this is another insult to the once mighty greenback.

The dollar, which has been snubbed by everybody from government officials in Kuwait and South Korea to top-earning Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, may not recover its luster. Economists say the currency, which has declined in five of the past six years against the euro, is caught in a downdraft as investors pour into Asia, prompting a tectonic shift in economic power from the U.S.

The value of Indian rupees has surged by 13 per cent against the dollar in the past year. Imagine rapper Fifty Cent renaming himself Fifty Paisa. See how most news websites and blogs are covering this story.

Last November, supermodel Giselle Bundchen refused to be paid in dollars anymore. She wanted euros instead. And it isn't just foreign supermodels and tourist attractions denouncing the dollar. In his new video "Blue Magic, "America's very own Jay-Z , shows a briefcase full of 500 euro notes.

Along the same lines, Kiplinger suggests earning more on your savings by investing in foreign currencies.

What do you think? Please post your comments below.

Earlier on SAJAforum:

• Taj Mahal makes list of "7 New Wonders"

FOLLOW UP: Taj Mahal Makes It To List of "7 New Wonders"

We wrote in March about a worldwide poll to select the "New 7 Wonders of the World." The Taj Mahal was among 21 sites in the running. While this contest made only minor waves in the US, when I  was in India, there was nonstop coverage about it and news channels were running items on their "crawls" several times a day asking viewers to vote via text message.

So with millions of Indians voting, when the announcement of the winners came out of 07.07.07, it was no surprise that the Taj made the list. See the list below (click to magnify) and at New7Wonders.com. Post your comments below.

EARLIER ON SAJAforum.org:

• HISTORY: Poll to decide 7 New Wonders of the World