Is it really now a monument of National Importance?

Red Fort- with its grand architectural carvings is supposed to be the one of the most magnificent monument of our country INDIA. Each year, on 15th August, Prime Minister of the country do the flag hosting ceremony as token of tribute to this Red stone monument, making it a symbol of India’s sovereignty.

Our ancestral gift from “mughal sultanat”, encapsulating their richly superb architectural styles, an old ethical building where very proudly, Indian Army took the control over it from the British Empire and marked the success of our independence!!

Doesn’t all this make it an important national monument?

And even after being declared as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 2007, don’t you think that the national importance of this splendid structure increases manifold? Also, it’s the main attraction for the tourist from all over the world. It’s like the crown of the capital city- Delhi.

Don’t you think we have a big, actually really big responsibility to preserve and take care of this great extravagant building?

Being an Indian, I was really shocked to see the management when I recently made my visit to this huge archaeological site.

1) To get an entry, we need to buy a ticket. Fine no issues. After standing in a very LONG queue (do not forget, this is INDIA, 100crore + population), and that too in ladies line, I finally managed to get my tickets after half an hour.

I guess, these tickets should carry a bit importance. O.K, do not bother to give some importance; But, hello, at least don’t throw those tickets while exiting!!

You won’t believe, what I saw, the road at the entrance gate was decorated by the scratched and ripped off tickets.

Don’t you think it’s very disrespectful on our behalf to commit such an awful act against a monument of national importance? Don’t you think, government should keep an eye, should keep a check and fine should be charged against such a thing?

2) Anyways, I made my way to the entrance gate. And hello? Security? Just a metal detector?!!?? Oh common!! It’s a NATIONAL monument, how can no importance be given to the security.

3) Finally I entered into the premises of this wow monument, and great!! Just a stone was there explaining about the past of this great monument. Being an Indian I have knowledge about this monument, but what about the foreign minds? How would they manage to update their knowledge on the Red fort when very eagerly they come to visit it? I mean after waiting in such a long queue, all they get to see is tickets being thrown away by people at the entrance gate and a stone depicting just a paragraph of knowledge about it.

Don’t you think it’s our duty to explain the history of this monument of national importance to them?

It seems now searching in Google about Red fort would to be an easy way to have an overview about it rather than visiting it.

Now tell me, is it really now seem to be a monument of national importance?

I don’t think so.

National importance comes automatically, when each citizen takes care of the thing as his personnel asset!!

If we would be so negligent towards our own heritage, then that day won’t be far, when we will face heritage-loss very soon!!

Wake up INDIA!!

copyright aditi kochhar

(photographer: aditi kochhar)