NEW DELHI: The popular sound and light show at the Red Fort is likely to resume in March possibly with an additional feature of human performances, which was earlier denied by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI).
Trials of the redesigned musical narration of the history of 17th-century fort palace and India’s freedom struggle are on, according to ASI officials. After a formal approval from the special committee, the date of its launch will be fixed soon.
“All preparations to reintroduce the programme are done. A trial show was held two weeks ago after which the committee suggested some changes. Another preview was organised on Monday evening following incorporating those suggestions. The presentation was watched by ASI’s director general Usha Sharma, historian Kapil Kumar, and other senior officials. Following the final approval, the show may be reintroduced within four weeks,” said an ASI official.
Being run by India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) since 1968, the show was suspended in June 2018 for upgradation after it was observed that content should be rewritten and that lights and other equipment also require a revamp. It was arguably the oldest musical presentation at any heritage site in Asia.
The new show is prepared by the Dalmia Bharat group, which had adopted the monument under the Tourism Ministry’s ambitious scheme ‘Adopt a Heritage’ in December 2018.
Kumar, who is also the director of Centre for Freedom Struggle and Diaspora at IGNOU, has written the script, which includes story of the fort’s construction, its architecture and cultural aspect, besides other interesting anecdotes about Mughal rulers and also the trial of Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar at the Red Fort.
“The ASI had refused to grant permission to add human performances but later agreed. If it remains, it will be another major attraction besides the new multimedia elements. Date for its launch will be fixed according to the directions from the Culture minister office,” said the official.