TAJ MAHAL NOW AVAILABLE AS AN E-BOOK AT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY WITH HOOPLA

My book Taj Mahal (Lerner Publishing, 2007), the story of the monument in India built more than 300 years ago, has long been out-of-print, but you can now read it as an e-book through Hoopla at your local library. If you have a library card and your library participates in Hoopla, all you have to do is register for Hoopla. (It's free.) You can then "borrow" books and read them on your computer or other device. I use Hoopla at the Los Angeles Public Library. (Hoopla is also a great way to download movies.)

I was inspired to write the story of the Taj Mahal after a visit to India in February 2000 when I went to Agra and saw the Taj Mahal. The text is a collaboration with my friend Madeleine Comora, who had also been to the Taj Mahal and was fascinated with it's history. The beautiful illustrations, in the the style of Indian miniature paintings, are by Madeleine's husband, Rahul Bhushan.

The Taj Mahal is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular buildings of the world, renowned for its architectural magnificence and aesthetic beauty. It is a rare book that can do justice to such a structure, but the grace and elegance of Rahul Bhushan's work captures the culture and the people that created the magnificent building. The story is a beautiful one, telling how Shah Jahan achieved immortality for himself and his departed wife, Mumtaz Mahal, by fulfilling her wish for a memorable tomb. The building itself is so exquisite that the Taj Mahal is more than an expression of one man's love for a woman; it has become a symbol of grace and beauty and a monument to universal love.

Memories of Madeleine Comora, 1962-2013

Madeleine Comora Bhushan on her Wedding Day

My friend Madeleine Comora-Bhushan passed away July 3, 2013.  She was an accomplished poet and author of children’s books as well as a gifted painter.  Her home was in Glendale, but she also lived in India for several years where she embraced its rich culture and history.  Many of us in Southern California knew her and will miss her.

I first met Madeleine when she was a student in the writing course I taught at UCLA Extension.  Her class project was the story of barber surgeons and the history of dentistry, inspired by her father who had been a dentist. We reconnected when I later joined a writers’ critique group to which she belonged. By then Madeleine was having some of her poems published and was working on new book projects such as Rembrandt and Titus.

Her book George Washington’s Teeth was co-written with Deborah Chandra, a member of Myra Cohn Livingston’s poetry group that Madeleine was part of. Some of Madeleine’s other stories and poems included a railroad story, inspired, I believe, by her grandfather, and an imaginative dog story, inspired by her dearly beloved bulldog Eleanor.

Madeleine’s writing came from her life, whether on a personal level or from her interest in art and history. The book we did together, Taj Mahal, grew out of a mutual fascination with India and visits to the Taj Mahal, which we both found far more impressive than we expected. The book started out as a strictly nonfiction project focusing on the background and building of the Taj Mahal, but evolved into a poetic retelling of the tale that is said to have inspired the building of this great monument. In the beginning, we envisioned the book illustrated with photos and historical art, but, when our editor suggested that Madeleine’s husband Rahul, a professional artist, submit some sample art, it became obvious that he was the perfect choice as the illustrator. So, while Madeleine and I labored over the text, making sure that every word and comma was exactly right, Rahul painted the pictures, researching every detail. The final product was a true collaboration. I brought my experience and nonfiction skills, Madeleine was the poet, creating music in every line, and Rahul contributed his beautifully detailed art and his Indian sensibility.

Meanwhile, Madeleine and Rahul became officially engaged and were married in a traditional Hindu ceremony, which I and many of Madeleine’s writer friends attended. Madeleine was the most beautiful bride I had ever seen. And then, not too long after, Madeleine became pregnant, her belly expanding each day with twins. I remember going to a baby shower organized by Madeleine’s sister Aileen. And then Kavi and Shiva were born, so tiny at first. After they came home, I helped with the feeding and diapering, trying a give Madeleine a break during a time Rahul was away. I remember how calm she seemed and so glowing with the joy of motherhood.  I am saddened that Madeleine will not see her boys grow up, but she gave them a good start.

I last communicated with Madeleine in late April. She was on her way home from Seattle where she had been getting medical treatments. She said, “I’ll call you soon.”

Madeleine was a wonderful poet, perceptive critic in our writer’s group, loving wife and mother, teacher, and friend. My heart goes out to her husband Rahul, her twin boys, her mother and sisters. She will be terribly missed.

Make a Model of the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal in Agra, India, is one of the wonders of the world. Built between 1632 and 1643, the Taj Mahal commemorates the love between Shah Jahan and his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. You can read about the love story that inspired its construction and about how it was built in my book Taj Mahal, co-authored with Madeleine Comora and illustrated by Rahul Bhushan.
Click here to go to my website and scroll down to Children's Projects to print a pattern and directions to make a model of the Taj Mahal. This project works best if you can print the pattern on heavy paper or cardstock.
I visited the Taj Mahal when I went to India in February 2000.  Go to my travel blog The Intrepid Tourist and read the post for September 26, 2011, to learn about my trip.

The Taj Mahal: A Collaboration

     In the spring of 2000, I went to India to do an author visit at the American Embassy School in New Delhi and was taken to see the Taj Mahal. Despite all the pictures I had seen of the Taj Mahal, I wasn’t prepared for the impact of its beauty as I stepped through the gate and saw it for the first time.  When I returned home, I met with my friend, Madeleine Comora, and proposed that we could write a book together. I knew that she was also interested in the story of the Taj Mahal and that she had recently been there with her husband Rahul Bushan.
    Madeleine and I spent about two years working on the manuscript until it reached the form that you see in the book. Then, during the editing process, we continued to make changes to coordinate the text as closely as possible to the illustrations.    As with all my nonfiction books, my favorite part of the writing process was the research for the book. I have always been fascinated by India, and learning more about the Mughal era gave me a deeper understanding of many of the places I visited when I was there.

     It always takes longer to collaborate with another author than to work on a project alone, but in an ideal collaboration, the combination of two people working on a project provides a product richer than either could do alone. In this case, I brought my nonfiction skills and publishing experience to the project and Madeleine brought her wonderful sense of poetry and connection to Indian culture through her husband Rahul. Each of us wrote sections of the story and then we went through the whole book together line by line, making changes to unify the tone and character of the manuscript.

     In addition to our personal experiences visiting the Taj Mahal and other monuments of the Moghul era, our research material for this book included historical documents, academic writings, books and articles about India, and talking with experts. We also asked experts on the Mughal history of India and on the history of the Taj Mahal to read the manuscript to check it for cultural and historical accuracy.