The entire concept of patriotism and national pride is so tricky, donât you think? Every time anything or anyone threatens our âastuteâ beliefs one bit, we are quick to dangle this two-sided sword over their head and call them (out) names.

But I really wonder, why has it become so easy for any random person to threaten our sense of national pride. Take for instance this video that went viral on social media claiming that the Taj Mahal was recently cleaned for the âfirst time in 300 yearsâ owing to US President Donald Trumpâs visit to India.

People from left, right and centre joined the bandwagon within minutes of the news break and decided to bash the administration and the government for:

a) Not doing it in â300 yearsâ

b) Doing it for Trumpâs visit.

I mean, talk about catch-22 and you probably wonât find a better example to lead the discussion with.

Anyhow, forget the others, tell me why did you join in on the bashing game as well? What irked you so much that all you saw was red, and all that came out of your mouth was senseless filth? Which patriotic bone did it smash that you had to sit with your hurt pride in the corner and go about spewing hate against authorities?

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Because guess what? Turns out that the âviralâ video of the Taj Mahal getting water clean-up therapy wasnât even authentic. 

As per an India Today fact check report, the monument shown in video is not the Agra Taj Mahal, but instead a replica of it located in an amusement park named Peopleâs Mall in Bhopal.

All it takes is perhaps 10 extra seconds and an open-minded scrutiny to notice the obvious signs that the monument in the video is the real Taj Mahal.

© YouTube

But what did you do, without even caring to verify the credibility of the viral video you decided to believe the âdoctoredâ narrative that was being fed to you. 

I get it, you are pissed that the Taj Mahal or any other historical monuments, for that matter, arenât being given the kind of care they deserve. Or maybe you simply hate the state and central government so irrevocably, that you want to challenge them every step of the way. But how does that justify your ignorance and your faulty decision to spread 'wrong' as 'right' just because it aligns with the narrative you want to believe?

First off, the Taj Mahal in Agra has been undergoing restoration and renovation, though in parts, for years now. It began with the Southern Facade of the main structure in June 2017, and as of July 2019 the restoration work had begun on the minarets.

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Furthermore, the entire process of cleaning marble, which uses the Fullerâs Earth technique is essentially slow, but has been made even slower due to the Archeological Survey of Indiaâs decision to take up the cleaning in parts, so as to keep the tourist visits to the monument open.

Choosing to not only accept but also propagate false news without doing a basic personal fact check is just not acceptable in todayâs time when we know the kind of repercussions fake news can have. 

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On that note, let us tell you how conveniently some people spread the news that the Taj Mahal was cleaned after 300 years, even though it was the two tombs inside the main building that reportedly got the cleaning. The tombs got Fuller's Earth cleaning for the first time, though the Taj Mahal has been subjected to this clean-up procedure five times already.

© Twitter

This may have been done for the big fat Trump visit, and we agree that this too was long overdue, but that still doesnât redeem you for spreading fake news and adding into all the hate and aggression that is so readily available all around us these days.

We need to do whatâs right, but not by taking the wrong steps. That will only make us one of them.

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