compounds tarnishing Taj Mahal found by scientists

 

An international team of scientists have found exactly what is tarnishing Taj Mahal's pristine white marble.

Every several years, the Archeological Survey of India apply a clay mask to India's iconic but yellowing Taj Mahal to remove layers of grime and reveal the white marble underneath.

Now scientists are getting to the bottom of what kinds of pollutants are discolouring one of the world's celebrated wonders.

In what is the first published study that has looked closely at what specific compounds are causing it to appear yellow, scientists have conclude that black carbon and brown carbon from the burning of trash and fuels are among the primary pollutants tarnishing the monument of love.

The latest findings will now help inform efforts to protect the mausoleum and other surfaces from pollution.

Mike H Bergin and Sachchida Nand Tripathi from the American Chemical Society note that Indian officials have tried to reduce the effects of pollution on the Taj Mahal by restricting nearby traffic and limiting local industrial emissions.

But despite regulations and an occasional deep clean, the domes and minarets continue to accrue a layer of soot.

Researchers analyzed particles in the air and on marble samples near the main dome over several months.

Using a novel method they developed, the team estimated how these specks reflect light and therefore affect the color of the building.

In the future, their approach could be used to craft strategies to address the chronic yellowing and improve air quality, they say.

Taj Mahal as Shah Jahan saw it

An exile Buddhist monk walks though a flooded Tibetan market close to the Yamuna river in New Delhi. Early Wednesday, the water level in the Yamuna crossed 495 feet, submerging large parts of the controversial Taj Corridor project. AP




People use a boat to move around a flooded area close to the Yamuna river in New Delhi. Not just Taj Mahal, other monuments like the Agra Fort, Etmaduddaula, Chini ka Roza and Mehtab Bagh along the banks of the river are drawing huge crowds as well. AP





A Tibetan exile wades through a flooded monastery close to the Yamuna river in New Delhi. While most people are happy with the state of the river, those living in low-lying areas are naturally alarmed and praying for an early relief. AP



A man takes photographs outside a monastery at a flooded Tibetan market close to the Yamuna river in New Delhi. Swollen river Yamuna has washed away boundary pillars demarcating districts of Uttar Pradesh from Harayana, officials said here. AP



Yamuna river in New Delhi. The boundary pillars and fix points in eleven districts of the two states have been washed away with the river Yamuna flowing above danger mark, they said. AP



A flood-affected resident wades through floodwaters in a slum near the river Yamuna in New Delhi. AP



A man watches the rising water level of the River Yamuna in New Delhi. AP



Locals looks at the rising water level of the River Yamuna in New Delhi. AP



Residents of the inundated Tibetan locality near ISBT carry a pup as they move to safer places after water from the overflowing Yamuna floods the area, in New Delhi on Saturday. AP



A man wades through a flooded lane caused by the rising waters of the Yamuna river at the Tibetan market in New Delhi. The river water level breached the danger mark again this monsoon season due to incessant rains in the capital and surrounding areas. AFP



A flood-affected family camps near the rising River Yamuna in New Delhi. AP





A flood-affected woman sits near the rising River Yamuna in New Delhi. The River Yamuna continued to flow above the danger mark in Delhi, affecting normal life. AP



Children from a flood-affected family camping on higher ground walk near the swelling River Yamuna in New Delhi. AP

Is today a lesser Earth Day than yesterday was?

So, April 22 was marked as the fortieth Earth Day. A day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s environment. Great! Many a rallies, protests and educational sessions by environmental groups and NGOs were held worldwide to mark the occasion. Wonderful!



But tell me, should we not inspire awareness and appreciate our planet today? Is today, or for that matter tomorrow, a lesser Earth Day than yesterday was? I think not, and I truly hope not. For India did not gain her independence by protesting and making the effort one day of the year. The Taj Mahal was not built by working on it just one day in a year.

Any monumental achievement requires a sustained, planned and dedicated effort and a paradigm shift in our approach and thinking. And bringing the Earth back to its glory days is certainly a monumental task. It requires a quantum leap from just celebrating one day as the Earth Day.

Consciousness for the planet and its environment needs to be brought into the curriculum of our life, our schools and other educational institutions. We need to have at least an Earth Hour every day of our lives if anything significant is hoped to be achieved.





Before you jump to the conclusion that I am junking the idea of the Earth day, let me put that thought process to a rest. Yes, the Earth Day, as we celebrate it currently on 22 April is significant, for it is a reminder that something needs to done. But it is sinful to give our planet just one day and forget about her the next day. That doesn't make sense to me one bit!

Look around, the seasons are tired, the wind is tired, and our rivers are tired. Even the butterflies don't flutter like they once did, for our plants are tired. It's almost as if the nature is suffering from a chronic ailment. And no amount of symbolic gesture is going to help. Is one day's care justified?

The only change will and can happen when the children demand their world back from the adults. "Kardo humare halave yeh duniya", that's what the kids need to say. "Give our world back to us, for you (adults) have not been able to care for it the way it deserved to be cared for."



For the adults I'd urge them to take a pledge to not to take a pledge just because it's 'Earth Day'. Do not be a hypocrite. Empty pledges will not change anything. We'll take a pledge today and just like a New Year resolution it will be forgotten in less than a fortnight! Pledges are rhetoric that seldom has anything to do with ground realities.

I don't say this because I am angry, I don't say this because I am hopeless and I don't say this because I am cynical. I say this because I've thought about it. And I say this with a large amount of positive energy.



What the adults, who really care, can do is to teach the children how to be better citizens of the Earth. Impart the wisdom and knowledge to the new generation such that caring for the environ is next to breathing and eating - an innate part of our being.

If we can do this then the new generation will care for the environment not because they must, but because that's the way they have been brought up. It's as simple as that and the only way to go forward.




How wonderful it would be if instead of just one day or one hour in a year our children would start their day with an Earth Hour every day? How about each educational institution inculcation and Earth Hour in their regular curriculum? Perhaps an "earth hour" could become a part of schooling like maths and science, and in-fact given more importance than any other subject.

How wonderful it would be if patriotism took a new meaning and went beyond the boundaries of one nation. Isn't it about time we got patriotic about the Earth? And shouldn't everyday be Earth Day? Think about it.

About the author: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is a critically acclaimed filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing Rang De Basanti (2006), for which he won Best Director awards at the 2006 Filmfare Awards and National Film Awards and received a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. He is also the writer and director of the critically acclaimed Aks (2001) and Delhi-6 (2009).