AGRA, India — From a rickety fishing boat on the Yamuna River, Sumit Chaurasia points out how the setting tangerine sun catches the sparkle of the mother-of-pearl embedded in the Taj Mahal, India’s majestic monument to love. For a decade, Mr. Chaurasia, 35, has made such poetic observations to tourists. But since March 2020, when India imposed a nationwide lockdown to curb the coronavirus, its monuments have been largely closed. While the Taj Mahal partially reopened in mid-June — with strict limits on the number of visitors — Mr. Chaurasia’s life, like much of India, remains in limbo: no longer totally shut down, but far from fully normal or safe. “The corona is still with us,” said Mr. Chaurasia, pointing out the flames licking the riverbank from a crematory next to the monument.

Source: New York Times July 06, 2021 14:48 UTC