350 years ago Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal to house the tomb of his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal, a retired post master from Uttar Pradesh is building a replica of the heritage in memory of his beloved wife. Faizul Hasan Qadri, who hails from Kaser Kalan village in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district, married Tajamulli in 1953. The retired postmaster’s wife died in 2011 due to throat cancer. Faizul has spent over 15 lakhs, almost all of his lifetime savings, in building the replica of the Taj Mahal which is still under-construction.
This 80-year old retired postmaster builds Taj Mahal for his late wife:
Faizul Hasan Kadari had promised his late wife that he will build something like Taj Mahal, so that people would remember them even after their death, as the couple was childless. After his wife’s death, Qadri buried her on his agricultural land, and then later began the construction. It was only in February 2012 that Kadari decided to fulfill his promise and started construction on his vacant plot.
This retired UP postmaster built a Taj Mahal for his ‘Mumtaz’:
Three years later, the construction came to a halt as the grieving man had no finances left to complete the most treasured gift for his late wife. “Initially, I sold a piece of land for Rs 6 lakh and my wife’s gold and silver jewellery for Rs 1.5 lakh and got the ‘makbara’ (mausoleum) constructed with the help of a local mason named Asgar. A total of Rs 11 lakh was spent, but now I have to get marble studded on the monument and also to build a lush green park around it, both of which is likely to cost me another Rs 6-7 lakh,” Qadri said.
CM Akhilesh Yadav to meet 80-year-old who built mini Taj Mahal:
“Asgar prepared the dome and constructed the four ‘minars’ around the central building, which is a little more than 27-feet in height. The structure is built on my own land and I have also tried to plant some trees around it and have a small water body at the back side of the building. However, work has mostly been held up due to finances as marble costs are high. A number of people have offered me money that I have refused to accept so far. This is my personal endeavour for my late wife and embodies my love for her. So I should do this on my own,” he added.
“I have told my brother to bury me here by the side of my wife. I have deposited the fees with the Wakf board also. Everything that comes has to go away some day. My wife is dead. I will also die some day. The monument too might not stand forever. I just wish to see it complete before I die,” he adds. Now, with the CM expressing his desire to meet Faizul soon, there are chances that the Uttar Pradesh government may pitch in assistance in fulfilling a man’s promise and build a look-alike of the famous Mughal monument.