THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: On June 1, Anurag Pandey from Ajmer visited the Padmanabhapuram Palace at Thuckalay, which is 58 kilometres from Thiruvananthapuram, with his 18-year-old differently-abled son Kovil Pandey. “Yours (sic) arrangement for handicap (sic) through video is very excellent and thankful for this facility,” he wrote.
The 16th-century wooden palace which towers with its architectural brilliance and historical significance is one of the most visited places on the tourism map. However, the palace with its steep stairs quite often is unapproachable for the differently-abled. For the past ten months, however, a new facility by the Department of Archeology has garnered a huge response from the differently-abled community.
It enables them to experience the palace in a digital manner. A video tour lets them experience the grandeur of the palace in its true essence. What once remained a far-fetched dream for the differently-abled has come true with this video tour.
For long, officers at the palace had seen the same scene played out before them when the differently-abled who arrived at the palace stayed back, while their companions explored the palace. The centuries-old construction style of the palace made it impossible for them to climb the steep stairs and experience the palace.
“I have seen the dejection and sadness on their faces. There are 15 sets of steep stairs which are inaccessible to them. The video tour has been arranged as part of the government's policy to make museums and other public spaces accessible to the differently-abled," said Ajith Kumar CS, officer-in-charge of the palace.
A collection of 36 videos featuring several aspects of the palace is screened at the visitor amenities centre. Replete with voice-over and subtitles, the videos let one experience the 35 galleries of the palace. The videos have been developed by city-based firm Invis Multimedia, the IT solution provider of the Department of Archeology, and are made in four languages such as English, Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil.
“It takes at least an hour to see the palace. Considering the nature of the palace, any additional construction is not possible to aid the differently-abled,” said Ajith. The palace is also equipped with facilities for differently-abled such as a ramp, a separate parking area and wheelchairs.