Taj Mahal picked as a New World Wonder
New Delhi: The Taj Mahal, the 17th Century marble monument, was on Sunday picked as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World in the largest-ever online poll conducted by Swiss non-profit group New 7 Wonders Foundation.
The results of the worldwide online voting to pick the new seven wonders of the world were announced at a grand ceremony in the Portuguese capital Lisbon, which aptly conincided with the date 07.07.07.
According to initial reports received here, the Indian monument of love received one of the higheast shares of votes in the poll, which was conducted through Internet, SMS and on the phone.
The official declaration ceremony began at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon minutes after midnight on Sunday.
"I always felt that Taj is and will always be one of the greatest wonders of the world. It is not only history's gift to India, but to the world. It has a divinity, godly attraction to it," former Joint Secretary Department of Tourism, Amitabh Kant, said in his first reaction to the news.
"It's a matter of great honour. It symbolises India," he said. "There's been a huge amount of mass movement. This trust on Taj will lead to the involvement in the other monuments that India has. There's need to work with the state and Central government. The inclusion in the list will give an impetus," Kant says.
Akbar Khan, the director of the film Taj Mahal, too cheered the news. "My very first visit to Taj Mahal kept me spellbound," he recalls.
Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar said: "Whether people vote or not, Taj will always remain in our hearts." Amitabh Kant insisted that India now need to create a better experience around the Taj. "Better connectivity to the Taj and audio guides are needed to give it an impetus," he said.
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/taj-mahal-picked-as-a-new-world- wonder/44304-3.html
Edited by 0mega Galaxy - 17 years ago
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