Emily Schmall and Karan Deep Singh, The New York Times
Published: 07 Jul 2021 08:21 AM BdST
Updated: 07 Jul 2021 08:21 AM BdST Sumit Chaurasia, left, a guide at the Taj Mahal, in front of the monument in Agra, India, June 23, 2021, while on the Yamuna river. The New York Times. Families at the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, June 24, 2021. The New York Times
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. );
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For a decade, 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. Visas for foreign tourists have been suspended, and he and legions like him have been out of work.
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