Duty - 7 days a week, Salary - 50 paise a day
Vijay Upadhyay
AGRA. He unfailingly reports to duty five times a day, seven days a week, notwithstanding the weather or ill health. This man is probably the lowest paid salaried employee of the Government of India but still, he's never thought of demanding an increase in his wages.
He is the Shahi Imam of the Taj Mahal, Syed Sadik Ali, who was duly appointed for the post by the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct Namaz at the Taj's mosque. He is paid 50 paise a day for his services on a monument that is worth crores. The amount of 15 rupees used to be quite significant when his forefathers were in charge of the mosque but these days, this "royal salary" would barely pay for the rickshaw fare from the Taj Mahal to the ASI office.
Ali, whose forefathers were also the "Imams" at the Taj mosque has been conducting the daily Namaz at the Taj Mahal for the past 15 years, first as the "Nayab" or junior to his father Syed Sabik Ali and later, as the "Shahi Imam" since his father's death in 2003.
Regarding his meagre salary, Ali said that there had been some correspondence with the Archaeological Survey of India during his father's tenure for a raise but this had been dumped and ironically while the mosque's attendant Shahabuddin received Rs. 5000 as salary from the ASI, Ali has to be satisfied with the paltry amount, despite being the highest official of the Taj mosque.
For Ali, conducting Namaz at the Taj was a matter of prestige and he intended to induct his future generations too as the Imams of the mosque with the same pay.
He is the Shahi Imam of the Taj Mahal, Syed Sadik Ali, who was duly appointed for the post by the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct Namaz at the Taj's mosque. He is paid 50 paise a day for his services on a monument that is worth crores. The amount of 15 rupees used to be quite significant when his forefathers were in charge of the mosque but these days, this "royal salary" would barely pay for the rickshaw fare from the Taj Mahal to the ASI office.
Ali, whose forefathers were also the "Imams" at the Taj mosque has been conducting the daily Namaz at the Taj Mahal for the past 15 years, first as the "Nayab" or junior to his father Syed Sabik Ali and later, as the "Shahi Imam" since his father's death in 2003.
Regarding his meagre salary, Ali said that there had been some correspondence with the Archaeological Survey of India during his father's tenure for a raise but this had been dumped and ironically while the mosque's attendant Shahabuddin received Rs. 5000 as salary from the ASI, Ali has to be satisfied with the paltry amount, despite being the highest official of the Taj mosque.
For Ali, conducting Namaz at the Taj was a matter of prestige and he intended to induct his future generations too as the Imams of the mosque with the same pay.
(UNITED NEWS NETWORK)
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