"When I was offered this, I just took it blindly. It was an honour to do this. The Taj is - is beyond religion. It is not just a building of marble. What has gone into it and what it has become. It's no more about Shahjahan or Mumtaj, it's ours, and our pride is at stake," said Rahman. "If you have loved in your life, if you are loving now or if you are going to love later here's an opportunity to feel good about voting for the monument of love. Vote right now…. before July…," Rahman appealed to the people.
http://www.my-india.net/cgi-bin/p/m/n/viewnews.cgi?newsid1180112317,34308, Mumbai May 25, (ANI): Renowned music director A.R. Rahman has launched a campaign to include Taj Mahal among the 'Seven Wonders of the World, by releasing a soulful and resonant anthem to motivate people to vote for the Indian architectural marvel. IMedia Corp Limited, a media company acting as the official voting facilitator for the campaign, roped in Rahman for this, following an abysmally low voting from the country. "When I was offered this, I just took it blindly. It was an honour to do this. The Taj is - is beyond religion. It is not just a building of marble. What has gone into it and what it has become. It's no more about Shahjahan or Mumtaj, it's ours, and our pride is at stake," said Rahman. "If you have loved in your life, if you are loving now or if you are going to love later here's an opportunity to feel good about voting for the monument of love. Vote right now…. before July…," Rahman appealed to the people. The new seven wonders will be chosen on the basis of number of votes received from across the globe with the winning landmarks being announced in a live broadcast on July 7, 2007 in Portugal. The 21 finalists in this list also include Rome's Colosseum, Jordan's ancient city of Petra, Britain's Stonehenge, Great Wall of China. These were shortlisted on January 1 by a panel of experts chaired by the former head of UNESCO, Federico Mayor. In the 17th century, Mughal emperor Shahjahan built the Taj Mahal as a symbol of his enduring love for his wife Mumtaz. It stands on a marble platform in the city of Agra, 200 km (125 miles) south of Delhi, and is surrounded by ornamental gardens. (ANI)
