Next time you visit the Taj Mahal, you can use the free Wi-Fi to upload your pictures on to Instagram and Facebook. Starting today, tourists will get 30 minutes of free internet access and Rs 30 for every additional hour.
Emperor Shah Jahan would have approved.
The Mughal king built the Taj Mahal all right, but when he was imprisoned at the nearby Agra Fort by his own son Aurangazeb, all he could do was gaze at the Taj Mahal from afar.
These thoughts got us wondering at The Quint. What would emperor Shah Jahan have done with free Wi-Fi before he was imprisoned?
If Shah Jahan Took a Selfie in Front of the Taj
Millions of people each year visit the epitome of love — the Taj Mahal — and take those ‘aawww-so-lovable’ pictures in front of the monument.
So why wouldn’t the man, who constructed this spectacular tomb for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, do the same?
Imagine Shah Jahan taking a selfie in front of the Taj Mahal and uploading it on Facebook, Instagram. Say Cheese!
He Could Have Bought Gems and Jewellery
“Heere ki parakh sirf johri hi janta hai.” And that ‘johri’ was none other than the emperor himself, Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan knew his gems well and loved to treat himself to the finest of jewellery. Remember the Peacock Throne, made entirely of jewels and precious stones?
With Wi-Fi, Shah Jahan could have surfed hundreds of online shopping portals. And shopped for precious stones just by sitting on his diamond-studded throne.
Wanted: A Suitable Girl
Shah Jahan may have built the Taj Mahal in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. But he was no doting husband. History shows that the emperor maintained a large harem throughout.
Think about it. Shah Jahan could have advertised on shaadi.com for companionship. Or perhaps a wife for his son Aurangazeb. Maybe a good, homely, beautiful, girl could have distracted Aurangzeb from putting his father behind bars.
House Hunting
It must have been a tough, tedious task for Shah Jahan to look for acres and acres of land to build magnificent monuments like the Taj Mahal, The Jama Masjid in Delhi, or the Moti Masjid in Agra.
All that would become a cakewalk with 99 Acres, Common Floor, or Makaan.
(Shah) Jahan Tum Bolo
And finally, Shah Jahan could have had it way easier with invaders, and also avoided incarceration by keeping a track of Aurangzeb’s whereabouts by using Google Maps.
Feel The Quint
Last but not the least, Shah Jahan would obviously be surfing The Quint for all the latest news about his province and the scoop on what his neighbours are up to.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)