Last year Chowksey wrote Mahatma Gandhi and Cinema, now his fictional account of how the TAJ was created is being published. It is a historical fact that the Moghuls brought with them the Persian culture when they came to India. At that time Indian culture was a bit worn-out because of continuous foreign attacks for centuries. Moghuls were different from other invaders in the sense that they wanted to settle down here and the founder of the Moghul Empire Babur made it clear before entering Agra that the soldiers should not indulge in any atrocities. Chowksey's Aurangzeb disapproved the wave of romanticism unleashed by Shahjahan and restored discipline and values in the life of the nation. He did not approve of huge sums of money being spent on the creation of the TAJ. However, this book has interesting character sketches and excellent dramatic scenes. A couple of years ago the TAJ MAHAL was voted as the number one wonder of the worldby an international survey. It has withstood the test of time and its classic beauty is of universal appeal therefore the story of its creation is worth reading. My friend Chowksey has done justice to the great subject. It is an ode to the synthesis of two great cultures. -Salim Khan
