What are the odds of that….the adventures of Agra

Agra was splendid once we got to the Taj. It was like its own little world….smack in the center of the poverty and pollution of Agra was this ever revered gem of a monument to a Queen long dead and gone. I couldn’t help but wonder what she would be saying right now with the poverty and condition of her city Agra. While the walls and grounds of her tomb have been kept immaculately clean the city which she reigned in has fallen into much decay. The sad thing is this….she never saw the grandness of it all. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan erected the Taj Mahal in the memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan (then Prince Khurram) met Mumtaz Mahal (then Arjumand Banu Begum) at the age of fourteen and fell in love at the first sight. She was a Muslim Persian princess and Shah Jahan was the son of the Mughal Emperor, Jehangir. Five years later, in 1612, they got married. Legend has it that her husband built the Taj actually out of guilt for her having given birth to 14 kids and dying due to complications at the birth of the 14th child. Hmmmmm…humans are strange sometimes. After visiting The Taj Mahal we ventured out for lunch and then moved on to The Tomb of the Akbar The Great. This place was amazing with a huge field of wild gazelles grazing over the grounds while hundreds of green parrots flew overhead. I saw some of the largest colonies of bees I have ever encountered. They were stacked on top of each other at least two feet deep and five to six feet long. The grounds themselves were amazing as they had an ingenious method of water channels running throughout the place. We concluded the tours with a trip to The Agra Fort (also known as The Red Fort). This fort was massive. It also housed the prison for Emperor Shah Jahan who was imprisoned by his son. At the end of his life, Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son, Aurangzeb, in the fort, a punishment which might not seem so harsh, considering the luxury of the fort. It is rumored that Shah Jahan died in Muasamman Burj, a tower with a marble balcony with an excellent view of the Taj Mahal.
Every ten seconds we had a new kid asking us if we wanted to buy a memoir of the Taj. Literally we could count in seconds the time a new vendor would come approach us. Everyone of course had a “good deal” for us if only we would come to their shop.
At the end of the day my dear friend Ruth (from Pune) and I sat in the coffee shop there in Agra discussing the adventures of the day and also about “The Pencil Projects” (explained below). We were the only customers and so it was nice to escape all the hectic activities going on outside and have a nice hot vanilla latte after such a long day. The A/C was an added bonus to the heat of the day. As we talked a group of people came into the shop….I noticed immediately that they were Jewish because of their yamika’s. As we continued to talk, I said to Ruth: “let’s see if we can recall the seven wonders of the world.” We both came up quickly with: The Taj Mahal, The Pyramids of Egypt, Michu Pichu….but then we got stuck on the thing in Jordan. Ruth says: “Oh man, I wish I could remember that one!” I said to her: “Well, you are sitting right next to someone from Israel…just ask them.” It was at this point and time she noticed that they were from Israel. So, she asked the man sitting to her left. He kindly replied, “Oh, that would be Petra.” We thanked him sincerely, but then he said to us…if you really want to know all of the seven wonders…both old and new…talk with our guide Yur. They called Yur over and he quickly rattled off all the wonders of the world…both old and new. We began to talk to this group. They were curious about this American woman and this little Indian girl (actually a very small young woman who looks 15). Yur asked why we were there in Agra and we told him…seeing the Taj and other historical pieces of architect. He told us that he traveled all over the world. Both Ruth and I had been talking about “The Pencil Projects” earlier and we looked at each other at the same time and said…should we tell him? We both agreed it would be a good thing to tell him, so we told him the idea of The Pencil Projects. A huge smile came on his face and he said: “I really love this idea! This is amazing!” It was at this time that he pulled out his business card to show us that he was the Senior Reporter for one of the largest TV stations in Israel. He was so interested in our story and asked if he could write about it. We felt that this was indeed a God-send. Because what are the odds of that? …An American with an Indian meeting a Jew in such a large country as India to talk about an idea that happened in one afternoon. Only God could orchestrate such a meeting. I stand amazed at what God has done and it humbles me to see His hand at work on this trip. While waiting to catch the train in Agra that evening a beggar boy came up to us asking for food and money. Ruth asked him his name…it was Mannu. She gave Mannu a pen and he was overjoyed! Earlier in the day we had also given a little Rajasthani boy a pen and he was so happy to have it. He told Ruth that he loved to study. This little boy was with a man who played the sitar while he did a little Indian style dance. He was like a “puppet” at the tune of the sitar. He danced upon command with no expression on his face. His eyes were darkened with a pencil makeup as he wore a brightly colored turban and multi colored kurtha. What a wonderful way to share love to someone…even though it is such a small thing…it is a mighty gift to a child who does not have one.
You probably want to know what “The Pencil Projects” is all about. As I was saying about the young boy Mannu…. The Pencil Projects is an opportunity to share just a small little gift to a child who has nothing. The plan for The Pencil Projects is to put a pen or pencil into the hands of each and every homeless beggar child on the streets of India. We feel that if even just one child could learn to write or draw…it may change their life by having this small gift of a pen or pencil. So often we take for granted the pens and pencils that we have scattered all over our homes…in our cars…in our backpacks and purses. Why not share these with the kids who have nothing. If we give these children money, they will never see it. If we give them candy, we are jeopardizing their health, but if we give them a small gift of a pen or pencil we are arousing curiosity and creativity to their minds. Our goal is to reach out to the communities of India and get people involved in the little kids who seem to have been forgotten. Ruth will be coordinating a community inside ORKUT so that we can get people interested in this project. If you are interested or want to know more, please respond to this blog or send me an email to jaymer7777@gmail.com make sure you put The Pencil Projects in the subject line so I won’t think it’s junk mail.