What if the Taj Mahal was made in today's India? Ajay Shukla’s ‘Taj Mahal ka Tender’ throws light

On May 23 and 24, 2024, the National School of Drama, Delhi, held a presentation of the play ‘Tajmahal ka Tender’ written by Ajay Shukla and directed by Chittaranjan Tripathi. A satirical play ‘Taj Mahal ka Tender’, is a humorous take on India’s bureaucracy in the present times. To put it in simple terms, the play is a form of ‘Vyangya’ on the condition of Indian tenders and the slow processes that form India’s development. The main characters of the play are the iconic ‘Taj Mahal’, Shah Jahan in the 21st century, and ‘Gupta ji’, the man who takes the tender to build Taj Mahal. The premise of ‘Tajmahal ka Tender’ is both simple and hard-hitting. The play imagines what it would be like if Shah Jahan was in modern day, trying to build a monument in memory of his late wife Mumtaz, and if he would be able to do it. But, instead of hiring some people to do his bidding for a certain amount of money, Shah Jahan has to deal with the modern Indian bureaucracy to get the monument built. The play opens with Shah Jahan deciding to construct the Taj Mahal in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, and soon finds himself plunged into the chaotic world of tenders, bribes, and red tape.One of the central themes of the play is the inefficiency and corruption that are rampant in the modern administrative system. Shah Jahan meets and has to go through various government officials, each more interested in personal gain than the one before and each more interested in extra money than the successful completion of the project. The humour in ‘Tajmahal ka Tender’ is sharp and satirical. The writer, Ajay Shukla uses witty dialogues and real-life absurd situations to highlight the ridicule that bureaucratic procedures have become today. For example, the process of obtaining approvals and clearances is shown as a never-ending cycle of paperwork and delays, with officials demanding bribes at every step, the chief-engineer bribing Shah Jahan’s closest aides, and the tender taking about 25 years to get approved.Another aspect of the play comes in the social commentary. While years ago, it is said that Shah Jahan took about 22 years to get the Taj Mahal constructed, in present times, it took about 25 years to just get the construction tender approved. The Taj Mahal, a symbol of eternal love and architectural brilliance, could never have been constructed today owing to the modern system that has strayed from ideals of integrity and excellence. One thing in the play is for sure and that is the characters. They are well-crafted, relatable, and all too visible in the society in general. An old man who wishes to do something, nosy neighbours ro friends who give false hopes, an officer or two who do not agree to lift a finger without something in their pocket, and the likes. A ruler like Shah Jahan is reduced to a common man and has to face the same struggles with the system as a man in modern times.After years and years, once the tender is finally approved, Shah Jahan breathes his last and then comes a dialogue ‘Shah Jahan aaenge, Shah Jahan jaenge, par ‘Gupta ji’ hamesha rahenge’, which translates to ‘people like Shah Jahan will come and go, but there will forever be a ‘Gupta ji’ like officer in the system’.