In a deeply moving incident, a son has undertaken the construction of a memorial house shaped like the Taj Mahal, with a staggering cost of 5 crores, for his mother in Ammaiyappan near Tiruvarur. This heart warming gesture comes in the backdrop of a society where elderly parents often find themselves neglected and placed in old age homes due to the self-centeredness of their own children.
Abdul Qader Jailani Biwi, a resident of Ammaiyappan in Tiruvarur district, was a hardware store owner in Chennai and a parent to four daughters and a son. When Abdul Qader passed away, his son Amruddin Sheikh Dawood was merely eleven years old. From that point on, Jailani Biwi single-handedly managed the shop while raising her children, showcasing immense strength and dedication.
Amruddin Sheikh Dawood, having completed his BA degree, runs a successful business in Chennai. Thus, when Jailani Biwi passed away, Amruddin decided to construct a memorial house as a tribute to his beloved mother.
The construction of this Taj Mahal-inspired memorial house involved sourcing marble from Rajasthan and bringing in skilled workers from the same region. Over the course of two years, the laborers, along with the local workforce, painstakingly built the memorial house, which was unveiled to the public on June 2. People from all religions are welcome to visit and pay their respects. Additionally, a madrasa school operates within the premises, currently accommodating ten students.
In a poignant gesture, Amruddin Sheikh Dawood personally cooks biryani and distributes it to a thousand individuals on every Amavasya, Jailani Bivi passed away the day after Amavasi.
This Taj Mahal-shaped memorial house attracts hundreds of visitors daily. While the Taj Mahal built by Shah Jahan for his beloved wife is recognized as one of the wonders of the world, it would not be an overstatement to consider the Taj Mahal constructed by Amruddin as the eighth wonder of the world—a testament to a son's love for his mother.
( With inputs from HT Tamil)
