There is utter confusion related to the Seven Wonders of the World. You have the Ancient Wonders, out of which only the Pyramid of Giza has withstood the onslaught of time, you have the Medieval Wonders followed by Natural Wonders, Engineering Wonders, and so on. None of the lists is definitive. Many marvels have been left out for want of enough information about them. Even the Seven Ancient Wonders, said to be mostly agreed upon, were confined to magnificent structures known to the ancient Greek world. The world is full of marvels to choose from and the present list of 21 has been culled out from as many as 77 nominees.

The current exercise will set at rest all doubts and opinions as to what are the real seven wonders of the world. However, I feel Bernard Weber should have included three more marvels and made it the Ten Wonders of the World. That way, the list would have been more inclusive and representative. The definition of wonders keep on changing with the times, and a mere seven will not do justice to the fascinating marvels that dot the world. Further, there should be a review of the wonders every ten years and the entire process of zeroing in on nominees and the final selection should be repeated. That way, preservation of the wonders will get the impetus.

As far as voting for the Taj is concerned, every right thinking Indian should contribute his/her bit in ensuring that it becomes one of the Seven Wonders of the World. I shall disseminate the need to post votes in favour of the Taj.

Kumar Badal