Agra: A group of 50 people walked through the majestic premises of the Taj Mahal — not to admire its beauty with their eyes, but to feel it. These visitors were visually impaired, experiencing the world’s most iconic symbol of love.
As Meenakshi Chaturvedi touched the red sandstone wall, her fingers traced what she believed to be a carved flower. But when Priya felt the same surface, she imagined the trunk of an elephant and burst into laughter. Their curiosity grew, eager to know what the carving actually was. A volunteer stepped forward to explain that it was, in fact, a flower with a stem and leaves.
“I had always heard about the beauty of this symbol of love, but after touching and feeling it, I have my own beautiful picture of this monument,” said 32-year-old Chitralekha, gently touching the cool white marble of the monument.
The one-day tour from Delhi to Agra was organised by Rising Star: Khilte Chehre, an NGO empowering persons with disabilities through inclusive travel experiences. Launched in 2019, this initiative marked the 12th edition of their accessible tours.
“Travel is education beyond classrooms and books — so why should anyone be excluded from it?” said Lovely Sarkar, Project Manager at Rising Star. She explained that through travel, participants not only explore new places but also develop communication and problem-solving skills, helping them connect more deeply with the world around them.
Rising Star has also organised trips to Lansdowne, Goa, Vaishno Devi, Mussoorie, Thailand, Jaipur, Rishikesh, and Dubai, offering participants the opportunity to explore the world with minimal barriers. Each trip involves a registration fee and is designed to foster independence, confidence, and community. It all started in 2018 when Amit Jain, founder of Rising Star, met a group of visually impaired students. Most of them shared a common, unfulfilled wish — to travel and explore places they had only heard about. Jain then formed a team and began organising trips. The first outing was in Rishikesh in December that year.
“Freedom for visually impaired people has often been overlooked. They are given food, clothes, and shelter and people assume that’s all they want or need,” said Amit Jain.
“Today, the Taj Mahal and the entire city of Agra became their classroom, not to learn history only, but to explore a new environment, learn and meet new people, and build friendships,” added Sarkar.
Trip to Taj
The group walked past the white marble monument in a line, holding each other’s hands, but suddenly a cheerful voice rang out, “Amar, will you build something like this for me too?” joked Chaturvedi, who had joined the tour with her husband, Amar Jain.
“But it’s way too hot here, don’t build here, choose a cool place!” she added with a laugh, sparking a cheerful discussion among the group about how much it would cost to build a monument like the Taj Mahal for a loved one.
The journey began early in the morning, at 7:00 AM, from Mayur Vihar, where volunteers greeted participants with bright yellow T-shirts and ID cards. Each card had the participant’s name and contact details on one side, and the NGO’s information on the other—a step toward ensuring safety and connection.
By the time the bus reached its first tea break stop at Magic Food Zone, about 190 km from Mayur Vihar metro station, Delhi (the group’s pickup point), new friendships had already started. While some shared stories about their professional lives, others opened up about their families.
“How many people want to be friends with us in everyday life?” asked 32-year-old Chitralekha, reflecting on the importance of such inclusive trips. “But here, in this group of people like me, I can make as many friends as I want.”
Before entering the premises of the Taj Mahal, the group was handed a small replica of the monument — allowing them to touch, feel, and understand its structure and imagine how it looks. As the trip continued on a sunny day, two tour guides joined them, sharing fascinating histories and stories about the monument.
“The entire complex is designed with perfect bilateral symmetry. The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum with a central dome, four minarets at each corner, and is surrounded by a complex of other buildings,” explained one of the tour guides.
“When we’re guiding visually impaired visitors, we focus on describing every detail that can help them form a mental image.”
As the tour progressed, the air was filled with curiosity and admiration, especially when the guide explained how the Makrana marble used in the Taj Mahal changes colour throughout the day: turning pink or orange at sunrise, brilliant white at midday, and silvery-blue under the moonlight.
“Wow, it must look beautiful!”, “What colour does it look like right now?”, “Can people visit it at night to see the blue shade?”, “Are there more monuments made with the same marble?”. Questions and praise of Mughal architecture immediately began to pour in from the group.
The guides and volunteers patiently answered every question.
“Now the Taj Mahal really feels beautiful,” came Pankaj Lakhbera’s voice from the crowd.
Travel tales
Rajesh Kumar Singh, 32, was a first-timer on any such trip. Seeking a break from the hustle of personal and professional life, he eagerly joined the group just a few days after hearing about it from a friend.
A banker by profession, Singh usually finds himself surrounded by fellow bankers, professors, PhD scholars, managers, and engineers. He hadn’t expected to enjoy the trip so much with strangers — people he now looks forward to meeting again, having exchanged contacts with many of them.
Singh lost his eyesight at the age of three due to an eye infection, and he has never looked back or regretted it. His mantra is: “Whatever happens, happens for good.”
Reflecting on the experience, Singh described this as not only his first trip but also the best one so far. He shared this memorable journey with Chaturvedi, who had previously joined tours to Ayodhya and Goa.
For Chaturvedi, Goa remains the most beautiful place she has visited. She explained, “Even when one can’t see, we can still sense which place is the most beautiful — it depends entirely on one’s experience. The atmosphere, the people, and the food all play a part.”
“I find peace, happiness, and a sense of fulfillment at the edge of the sea. It makes me feel beautiful, that’s why it’s the most beautiful place for me,” she added.
Talking about how these journeys come to life, programme manager Muskan Gupta from the NGO explained that for every journey, securing permissions and help from authorities was taken to ensure every safety aspect of the group. Sometimes, she also visits the locations in advance to check everything.
“Our mission is to empower more than one lakh visually impaired (VI) individuals to step out of their homes and confidently be a part of the same society as you and me,” said Gupta.
Next stop—Dubai
In front of the Taj Mahal, the Rising Star group shouted ‘cheese’ for a photo. While they were excited about the monument, onlookers were just as curious about them. Some even took their pictures.
“Are they all blind?” asked one of the passing tourists.
Some passersby offered help, guiding the group members to walk or assisting them in climbing the steps.
“As a society, the first thing people need to learn is to stop pitying them and instead learn how to genuinely help,” said Sarkar.
While some participants are excited about the NGO’s upcoming project — a ride with bikers in Delhi NCR, others are trying to convince their families and prepare for the much-anticipated six-day Dubai trip.
“Next, I want to feel what it’s like to be in Dubai — how the Burj Khalifa will feel,” said Supreet Kaur with a big smile, trying to convince her husband to join the trip.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)