Mumbai, May 24: Nearly 359 years after it was built, its luminescent white marble and jewelled arches stand as a testament to a king's ardent love and passion for his wife. It figures on every lover's "must visit" list. And today, the Taj Mahal wants your vote to get recognised and included in the list of the New Seven Wonders of the World (see box). Currently among the 21 finalists competing to be included in the list, the Taj is fighting for one of the six spots on the listthe Pyramids of Giza are already part of the list being the only surviving ancient seven wonder.
The `India Unites for the Taj' movementit has sprung up to garner votes from our one billion-strong nation for the marble marvelwas kick-started on Thursday by music maestro A R Rehman by releasing an anthem for the campaign. Titled Ek Mohabbat (One Love), the track was conceptualised within a weekrecording was wrapped up at 1 pm on Thursdayand is a tribute to love. "Love is the common element, whether its Adam and Eve's love, Laila and Majnu's love or the love between you and me. That's what I like best about the song," said Rehman as he pulled out his PDA phone and registered his vote. He will be performing the track at all his nine concerts on his upcoming US tour and seek votes. "While there is no doubt that the Taj holds a special place in every Indian's heart, we were shocked to find that voting from our country was abysmally low. It was then that an integrated interactive solutions firm, IMCL, decided to spearhead this movement and resolved to get the Taj on the New Seven Wonders list," said Bharat Kapadia, Chairman, `India Unites for the Taj' campaign. IMCL was recognised as the sole official voting facilitator in India only three weeks back. Taj's great rivals remain the Great Wall of China, the Potala palace in Tibet and the Colloseum in Rome, among others. The `India Unites for the Taj' campaign plans to spend Rs 120 crore in the next 43 days the New Seven Wonders will be announced at an official ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal on July 7 (07/07/07). "Our ad pitch is Daav par hai Bharat ka sammaan, kijiye Taj ke liye matdaan," added Kapadia, who is scouting for sponsors and celebrities to endorse the campaign. "We have identified 40 cities where the mobile and internet penetration is significant," said R D Bhatnagar, vice-president (Projects and Operations), IMCL. http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=237984
