AFP Yanni arriving at New Delhi airport with Linda Evans of Dynasty fame and his associate. -- PTI

NEW DELHI --'A leading Indian historian yesterday hit out at the staging of pop star Yanni's controversial concerts at the Taj Mahal this week, arguing it was setting a "dangerous precedent."

Dr Romila Thapar said India had to decide whether it wanted the historical monument in the town of Agra, near New Delhi, to be converted into a "commercial object". "It is not a question of the immediate damage to the Taj. It's a question of creating a dangerous precedent. There could be one there every month. They could decide to create it into a concert site, there's no knowing," she said.
"This is a mega event. We need to have a policy about how were are going to use historical monuments."

Dr Thapar, who took part in an unsuccessful legal challenge against the three-day concert from March 20, also pointed out the Taj Mahal, built as a monument of love by the Moghul emperor Shah Jahan for his deceased wife, was "sensitive" because it was a mausoleum where prayers were still held.

This would be the first major entertainment event allowed at the venue, she said.
Sell-out crowds of 4,000 fans are expected to watch each of the three performances by the Greek-born artist. A mock marble stage and pontoons, which Thapar claimed were illegal because they were within 300 meters of the building, have been built for the event. Green activists and local farmers are also opposing the concerts but the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which oversees all national monuments, has said it has been convinced that noise levels would cause no damage.
Thapar added: "Another problem is where is the money going. Nobody knows."

AGRA - Even as the fate of Yanni's concert remains uncertain in view of the petition in the Supreme Court, additional solicitor general of the country, Altaf Ahmed has visited the proposed performance site in Agra to ascertain for himself the various contentious issues relating to environment.

Mr. Ahmed Paid a surprise visit to the city in company of additional advocate general of Uttar Pradesh Rakesh Dwivedi and divisional magistrate Durga Shankar Mishra.

While at the site, Mr.Ahmed examined the light and sound equipment being installed at the site and is understood to have been expressed satisfaction over the steps taken to protect the monument to love from the effects of the concert being held about 325 meters behind the outer wall of the structure.

Meanwhile, the international composer arrived in Delhi on Sunday amid high security en route to Agra, where he is to hold a rehearsal on March 19 before the three shows.

The district magistrate said steps had been taken to prevent vehicular pollution. He said the parking site was almost 2km away from the venue, at the same place where the annual Taj Mahotsav is held. Eleven battery-powered mini-buses will bring fans from the car parks to the venue.

Douglas I. Pope, site coordinator, said there would be no danger to the waters of Yamuna as no effluents or spills of any kind were being used at the site. He also said no cement was used anywhere at the site and the entire infrastructure made for the show would be dismantled after it.

Apart from four emergency exits for the 7,058 fans, fire brigade would stand by in case of any emergency.

Special sound equipment is being used for the concert. The lighting system will also be such that light will fall on the monument only from a distance of about 400 meters, thus reducing its effect. The Taj will be lit indirectly at 25-30 foot candle light compared to 6000-8000 foot candles the monument has been exposed to on a daily average for the past 300 years.

The sound equipment from Cox Audio Engineering will ensure that the waves do not reach the monument. The revolutionary V Dosc System has been designed by French nuclear physicist and inventor Christian Heil. The technology is meant to eliminate the possibility of sound reflecting from the rear of the speaker's cabinet thus preventing vibrations.

Personnel who are looking after local arrangements said it was erroneous to say that there had been major damage to the farmers' crops. They said that the only use of public land had been at the parking place. -- UNI

Taken from the Khaleej Times, a local newspaper in the United Arab Emirates