Picture of the Day: A Taj Mahal for Islamabad

Posted on September 6, 2006
Filed Under >Adil Najam, Architecture, People, Photo of the Day, Poetry, Urdu
33 Comments
Total Views: 35208

Adil Najam

I know. I know. Enough of this already. Let’s move on now to something else. Things more important. That was exactly my thought too.

Until I saw this full page advert in today’s Dawn. Then, I could not resist. Look at the tag-line at the top:

“The Dilemma of Ustad Isa and Atkins.”

Ustad Isa, of course, was the architect who designed the Taj Mahal. And supposedly Atkins is the guy who did the Burj and is now trying to plagiarize his own design in Islamabad. The main text, in the middle of the advert, reads:

“One designed the Taj Mahal and the other, the Burj-Al-Arab. Both had the desire to improve upon or at least match the wonders they had conceived with their next project. We Don’t know about Ustad Isa and his team but Atkins had the wish fulfilled with The Centaurus, making it the first construction project in Pakistan to exceed global standards. To be above everything, The Centaurus was designed to be light years ahead.”

Till now I have found this whole thing intriguing and mildly amusing. A commentary on our aspirations as a society. A discourse on urban aesthetics. A debate about our role-models, about who (and what) we want to become, and who we wish to resemble. In that sense this project and its dreamt up graphics are no different from the dreamt up graphics of the 1960s PIA advert that we had written about early on and which continues to be amongst the most-visited ATP posts (here).

But this bit about comparing Ustad Isa and Atkins and my head spinning. Give me a break. Please! Comparing this to the Taj Mahal is a joke, and not a good one either. And if it has to be done, let someone else make the comparison rather than toot your own hand. Reminds me of a great Anwar Masood (here) humorous sheyr:

Ravi ka hai bayan, kay mairay saabqa pull par
choonTi koee kehti thi yeh sael-e-rawan say

folaad ka pull daikho dehal jaata hai kaisay
hum tum jo guzartay hain ik saath yahan say

The River Ravi tells the story of how on its old (metal) bridge
once a tiny any was heard saying to the gushing waters beneath

look, how this might steel bridge shakes and trembles with fear
when you and I move in unison near it!

Talk about being pretentious and taking undeserved credit!

By way of disclosure, I should say that although I admire the Taj Mahal as a building (and enjoyed visiting it); as a concept I remain rather underwhelmed by it. In this regards I am in the Sahir Ludhianvi camp (another great poet whose poetic inspirations matured in Lahore (see ATP post here):

Ik Shahenshah nay daulat ka sahara lay kar
humm ghareebouN ki mohabbat ka uRaya hai mazaaq

An Emperor has used
the crutches of his wealth
to mock at the love of the dispossessed

I guess this is because I have never been a fan of the Mughals (no offence meant, Owais!). I don’t particularly care for monarchy, and this set of monarchs had some rather nauseating habits; particularly the later ones. Of course, that does not keep me from admiring some of the works created by them – or rather in their name, by the sweat and blood of others (see ATP post on Anarkali here).

What ever one does or does not think of the Taj. The fact of the matter is that comparing this to the Taj Mahal, even by analogy, is insulting to the Taj. To paraphrase a famous American politician: “I have seen the Taj Mahal, and this is no Taj Mahal!”

Earlier ATP post on this hotel here and here. Earlier ATP post on advertising: good (here) and bad (here).

33 responses to “Picture of the Day: A Taj Mahal for Islamabad”

  1. Shabir Alam says:

    Oh one more thing Mr. Rafiq:

    To quote you: “Why do you have to abuse and be disrespectful to those who disagree with you?…”

    Thanks for all the respect!

  2. Shabir Alam says:

    Mr. Rafiq, I am sorry to say that my message was not for your appeasement – rather saying it how I ‘think’ it is, as in my opinion that I am entitled to. Your ranting on my comment didn’t make you any different than me based on the case you have made against my comments. Evidently you have more rage packed in you than you realise. Go back and read it again.

    Mostly I was refering to confused or pretentious progressives not the actual real ones who do something and not just sit around and comment – as they say “talk is cheap, shut up and dance”. Also do not claim that the progressives alone made this country and nobody else, this again shows your biased and you willing to “impose” your ideas on others and me – something that you yourself dislike but can’t help it. And your assumption about me being a conservative is again rage ridden – my point wasn’t against progressives, but only of some types. And when I say agenda, I don’t mean it in some conspiratorial way rather something on personal level.

    And thanks for this comment: Thank God you have not (yet!) accused this site to be a ’sahooni saazish’ or seen a ‘foreign hand’ in this. Actually, you do seem to!! (*grin*) – Obviously you know it all and have some sense of humour too.

    What you call “abuse” is what could be called a ‘matter of fact’ by others and is open for discussion and not for a shun down blah blah as you did. And what you are calling “intolerance” again is your idea. No fatwa was given here but some questions asked and some opinions given. You kinda showed your true colors, didn’t you?

    Self-reflection is a good thing before you lay it out on someone else…

    Back to the topic – again, this building looks cool and has a modern touch to it. Hopefully it gets built and gets used and helps change the landscape of Islamadad, or “Isloo” as some people call it. By the way is that a derogatory term for Islamabad?

    Whenever I go to Jinnah Super or the Super market, I feel like breaking the structures and starting over. These markets are UGLY and do not belong in Islamabad. Can someone please make a new modern looking neat and clean shopping mall there please!?!?

  3. Hashim Mandokhel says:

    By the way, this one is a part of a series of adds. Anotehr one has the bold headline saying : “THE IDENTITY OF PAKISTAN.” Another compares the hotel to the Pyrimids in Egypt. Another to the Statue of Liberty in USA.

  4. Hashim Mandokhel says:

    Don’t plan your tea party just now. See first if it really happens. Too many such ideas never happen or are scams. Lets hope this is not. Also, this is a 7 star hotel, how many stars does the Taj Mahal get?

  5. Owais Mughal says:

    I do not like the architecture of the building and that is my opinion. I would still like it to be built as I feel proud if a 7-star hotel comes to Pakistan. Uglier to me it may be, I do not want the project to be stopped. I am sure many like it and many must’ve done research on the aesthetics of this project. Yes if I get a chance I will go there and have a cup of tea :) and feel happy about it. I live outside Pakistan and i do not have any agenda :) :)

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