Friday 2 August 2013

Letter 61 Background


                                                                        Posted by Shandra.
       I had the loveliest story to write. I wanted it to be romantic and full of love rather than sexy as most of our stories are. The Taj Mahal is a monument of love so it worked very well for my story. 

Hi it is Shandra here.
       The story behind the building of The Taj Mahal is the story of an Emperor whose wife dies during child birth. In his grief for her he decides to build this monument to her memory. It is a labour of love, the love he has for her. 
        We had always thought about including a visit to The Taj Mahal in our stories of the Indian adventures but when I wanted to include it in a special story we thought it would be a great way to end the Letters Series.
       I discovered a poem which was supposed to have been written by the Emperor himself so I decided to include this as well. I think this is the first poem to be included in the Letters Series which makes this story a tiny bit different too. 

        We heard that the complex is open during the full moon when the white marble of the dome appears to glow in the moonlight. So I added a second evening visit for the group to again visit, this time to view The Taj Mahal under the light of the full moon. 

        But then the Letters Series didn’t end. It will continue with the first letter/story of Vol Five beginning next week. 

Extra:-
        In June 2013 I did actually get to visit the Taj Mahal. It was a surprise for me that my husband had arranged. It was his labour of love for me I think, organizing this without my knowing. I wasn’t disappointed; it was as good as I wrote in my story. I was amazed at the beauty of this building and the whole time it was in my mind that this was a labour of love, by the emperor, in memory of his beloved wife.

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