In the year 1980, Karen and I went back to India with two other American couples, to be wedded among my family and childhood friends. We all traveled throughout India. This was my first time visiting many of the famous places in India. We traveled to Kashmir and stayed in a Houseboat. We visited Varansi and Sarnath, the most holy Hindu and the Buddhist pilgrimages. We had a boat ride on the Ganges, rode on the elephants in Jaipur, visited palaces and forts and met with Indian artists who painted in the miniature style. We saw the caves of Ajantha and Ellora.

One of the most eventful times of this trip was that we happened to be in Agra on a full moon night, when they keep the Taj Mahal open through the night for special viewing. Well, we were there at midnight, but the moon was covered by the clouds. It did not look like we were going to see the bright moonlight shining on the Taj. We were disappointed. Out of frustration, we started blowing on the clouds, as if that was going to help clear the sky. We prayed to the God of the winds (Varuna) and blew hard towards the clouds…!

Lo and behold, about 20 minutes later there was a big opening in the clouds and the big full moon was shining on the marble surface of the Taj. It was unbelievable that we were looking at the shimmering Taj, which seemed impossible, only a 1/2 an hour before. It was so bright, that the whole Taj looked as if it was made out of glitter! It was a special moment. I tried to capture that in my painting of Taj Mahal.