The Taj Mahal from Persian and Arabic, “crown of palaces”, is a white marble mausoleum located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage”.
Taj Mahal is regarded by many as the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Islamic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Indian architectural styles.
In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“IOTD” is image of the day, a concept I came up with. I teach visual meditative therapy – or in easy terms – a mini mental holiday. For some people it is very difficult for them to get their image right. I post an image a day for people to use in their mini mental vacay. Some are serious, some are silly, and some are just beautiful!”
“Black or White” is the lead single from Michael Jackson’s Dangerous album. It was released in November, 11 1991. “Black or White” is a mix of rock, and dance-pop.Written, composed, and arranged by Jackson with the rap lyrics by Bill Bottrell, it is a song that promotes racial harmony. The song’s introduction and main riff are performed by guitarist Slash and Bill Bottrell.
The video shows scenes in which African hunters begin dancing by using moves from West African dance, with Jackson following their moves and them mirroring his; as do, in sequence, traditional Thai dancers, Plains Native Americans, a woman from India and a group of Russians, (wearing Ukrainian clothing and dancing Hopak). Jackson walks through visual collages of fire (defiantly declaring “I ain’t scared of no sheets; I ain’t scared of nobody”), referring to KKK torch ceremonies before a mock rap scene shared with Culkin and other children.
The group collectively states, “I’m not gonna spend my life being a color.” The final verse is performed by Jackson on a large sculpted torch, which the camera pans out to reveal as the Statue of Liberty. Jackson is seen singing on Lady Liberty’s torch surrounded by other famous world edifices including The Giza Sphinx, Hagia Sophia, Pamukkale, The Parthenon, Taj Mahal, St. Basil’s Cathedral, Pyramids of Giza, Golden Gate Bridge, Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower.
At the end of the song, several different people, of differing races and nationalities, including actor Glen Chin, model Tyra Banks, actress Khrystyne Haje, actor Jeffrey Anderson-Gunter, and actress Cree Summer dance as they morph into one another (shown as “talking heads”).
I Took My Baby On A Saturday Bang Boy Is That Girl With You Yes We’re One And The Same
Now I Believe In Miracles And A Miracle Has Happened Tonight
But, If You’re Thinkin’ About My Baby It Don’t Matter If You’re Black Or White
They Print My Message In The Saturday Sun I Had To Tell Them I Ain’t Second To None
And I Told About Equality And It’s True Either You’re Wrong Or You’re Right
But, If You’re Thinkin’ About My Baby It Don’t Matter If You’re Black Or White
I Am Tired Of This Devil I Am Tired Of This Stuff I Am Tired Of This Business So When The Going Gets Rough I Ain’t Scared Of Your Brother I Ain’t Scared Of No Sheets I Ain’t Scare Of Nobody Girl When The Goin’ Gets Mean
[L. T. B. Rap Performance] Protection For Gangs, Clubs And Nations Causing Grief In Human Relations It’s A Turf War On A Global Scale I’d Rather Hear Both Sides Of The Tale See, It’s Not About Races Just Places Faces Where Your Blood Comes From Is Where Your Space Is I’ve Seen The Bright Get Duller I’m Not Going To Spend My Life Being A Color
[Michael] Don’t Tell Me You Agree With Me When I Saw You Kicking Dirt In My Eye
But, If You’re Thinkin’ About My Baby It Don’t Matter If You’re Black Or White
I Said If You’re Thinkin’ Of Being My Baby It Don’t Matter If You’re Black Or White
I Said If You’re Thinkin’ Of Being My Brother It Don’t Matter If You’re Black Or White
Ooh, Ooh Yea, Yea, Yea Now Ooh, Ooh Yea, Yea, Yea Now
It’s Black, It’s White It’s Tough For You To Get By It’s Black , It’s White, Whoo
It’s Black, It’s White It’s Tough For You To Get By It’s Black , It’s White, Whoo
Taj Mahal, the iconic white marble mausoleum and one of the most photographed historical monuments in the world, is located in the city of Agra in Uttar Pradesh, India. Mughal emperor Shah Jahan promised Mumtaz Mahal, his third wife and soul mate, that he would build a magnificent monument for her and Taj Mahal was the result, still bearing the mark of their true love.
The construction of Taj Mahal, literally meaning the “crown of palaces”, began around the year 1632 and completed in around 1653.
Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, the renowned architect of the Mughal Empire is considered the principal designer while the whole project was handled by an architectural board, comprising of the likes of Abd ul-Karim Ma’mur Khan and Makramat Khanunder, under imperial supervision.
I have been a huge fan of Yanni’s work and music. I started following him since his first appearance with Linda Evans on the Oprah TV show. It was love at first sight.
I have followed his career since then and have been able to see him perform live several times.
I was looking for a video to use in the last post of the day and ran into Yanni performing at the Taj Mahal. I selected the video presented here mainly because of the introduction given by him.
~~ALBUM: TRIBUTE~~
Tribute pays musical homage to India on several songs; Greek-born composer and keyboardist Yanni describes the album as a tribute to the builders of the Taj and the Forbidden City, as well as to the people of India and China. Yanni’s ethereal keyboard work is backed by orchestra, vocalists, a choir, and various world instruments including didgeridoo, duduk, charango, and bamboo saxophone.
~~Some Interesting Facts About Yanni’s India Tour in 1997~~
Yanni performed live for three consecutive nights from 20 to 22 March 1997 at India’s iconic monument Taj Mahal located at the heart of the city of Agra (State -Uttar Pradesh). The spectacular concerts which were staged at the back-side of the monument Taj Mahal on the bank of the river Yamuna took almost two years of meticulous planning and painstaking efforts by Yanni and his team.
Yanni became the First Western Artist to be permitted to perform at the Taj Mahal. The event also marked the artificial illumination of the Taj Mahal during night for the first time in history.
Yanni’s team comprising of almost 300 members successfully accomplished the task of building a stage and seating arrangement in the middle of the river Yamuna on a sandbar that periodically became visible when the river dried up between November and late March.
Indian Army’s help was sought to build two pontoon bridges to get across the river and also for building the roads leading to the pontoon bridges. The bridges were built in record time.
Almost 130 tons of video and audio equipment were imported from United Kingdom brought in around 50 trucks and a plane.
Four towers were built with some of them over 60 feet high for housing the lighting equipment.
A stage was also built spanning 100 feet to 80 feet, 6 feet high and tiered to hold the orchestra and the band.
Seating was created for 7200 people.
Yanni also flew in the revolutionary V-DOSC sound system that cancelled the sound reflecting from the rear of the speaker cabinets completely. During the concerts the sound reaching the Taj Mahal was as low as two people talking.
Apart from adhering to strict sound emission and lighting norms, no motorized vehicles were brought in upto 500 meters of the monument.
Yanni wrote the songs “Deliverance” and “Love is All” specifically for the Taj Mahal.
Yanni says: “This album was conceived and recorded during a tumultuous and wonderful period in my life. It was inspired, in part, by the possibility that I might perform new works at Taj Mahal and the Forbidden City, two of the greatest man-made structures on earth. That this came to be, that I had the privilege of performing my music in India and China in the midst of national treasures, is a tribute to so many who believed in project that seemed always at the edge of reason.
For me, the Taj and the Forbidden City remain essential because they remind us all of our own potential for greatness. The spirit of their builders remains incredibly vibrant. For the members of my band and the orchestra, the nights spent in the shadows of these monuments provoked inspired work and often, tears. I hope, in a small way, we have been able to pay tribute to those many souls, many years ago, the nameless artisans, and laborers, who created these incredible structures.
This album is also meant to be a tribute to the dynamic, warm India and China, to the many, many people who embraced us with their kindness, smiles and applause. Finally, like all I’ve done since leaving, Kalamata, Greece, this is also a tribute to my parents, Sotiris and Felitsa, who taught their little boy a long time ago that …. love is all“
~~Love Is All~~
~~Uploaded on Sep 15, 2007~~
This a magnificent song especially written for the Taj Mahal by Yanni. This is in fact his very first song with lyrics. Solos are by Pedro Eustace on the ancient Armenian Duduk, Ramon Stagnaro on the guitar, and voice by Vann Johnson.
“As the population increases, the planet becomes smaller and smaller. We need to learn to accept and tolerate one another. I am a human being just like all. There is more than one way to live life. Socrates once said: The perfect human being is all human beings put together. As a collective, as a “we”. All of us together make perfection.
Sending a message to all the world of love and unity, acceptance and tolerance.
~~PARTIAL LYRICS~~
“Love will keep me believing Through the dark, can you hear me calling? Holding on when I’m dreaming Love is all, love is all, love is all
Like a tempest to the sea, I’m standin’ Love is all, love is all, love is all Love is all, love is all, love is all Like a tempest to the sea I’m standin’, I’m standin’ [Incomprehensible] Love, love, love , love is all
"the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord shine His face upon you and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace"
