Red Fort’s light and sound show returns

Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated Red Fort’s revamped light and sound show yesterday evening, after a hiatus of the programme for five years. The one-hour feature, Jai Hind, that will play daily in Hindi and English, spans three monuments on the premises— Naubat Khana, Deewan-e-Aam and Deewan-e-Khas — and narrates India’s cultural and political history over the past few millennia.

“Those who don’t learn from history can’t envision a great country,” said Shah.

He added, “In the past eight years, under Modi ji, I’ve seen a new confidence and eagerness in the people of this country.”

The first programme was projected on the outer fort wall and called Matrabhoomi (Motherland). A voice personifying the red sandstone walls introduced the show with comment on India’s scientific and cultural progress, adding that today’s era is different from previous ones because “everybody forced to be silent and listen can now speak in this country.” The walls were then projected with virtual bricks being piled to denote Red Fort’s construction by Shah Jahan, with the voice saying, “Mughals who made me, came as guests but came to belong to this land.” The projections went on to narrate the Vedic period, India’s contribution of yoga to the world, and achievements of space and nuclear age.