Centuries come and go. Empires rise and fall. But like an unyielding boxer surviving a battery of merciless punches, the Red Fort stands tall and resolute, commanding both respect and eyeballs.
It has been quite a life. The fort, now 377 years of age, has experienced the elation of being the imperious heart of the Mughal Empire, the despair of being looted by invaders like Nadir Shah , the anguish of being demolished after the 1857 Uprising and the stirrings of patriotism at the INA trials of 1945-46. Lal Qila , as it is popularly referred to, isn’t just an emotionally complicated eyewitness to history, but also a participant-observer in the nation’s most decisive moments.
Jai Hind, a late evening sound and light show, marked by audacity of imagination, recreates the iconic fort’s chequered life like never before. The world’s first sound and light show was created by French curator Paul Robert-Houdin at Château de Chambord in 1952. From 1968, Red Fort too had its own son et lumiere managed by ITDC for the Union tourism ministry.
Launched in Jan 2023, the revamped and resuscitated show is curated by ‘monument mitra’ Dalmia Bharat Limited, as part of Union ministry of culture’s ‘Adopt A Heritage’ scheme. The same year in June, National Geographic placed it among the world’s top five sound and light shows, alongside Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal and Philae Temple in Aswan.
Narrated by sutradhars — Amitabh Bachchan in Hindi and Kabir Bedi in English — the show is crafted like a mobile three-act play that hopscotches from Naubat Khana to Diwan-e-Aam to Diwan-eKhaas over 60 minutes. The spectators move with the show, watching the medieval edifices morph into an open-air-theatre. Laser lights dance, horses gallop and ships sail to a cloudburst of stereophonic sound as evening eases into night. The pageantry blends the archive with the live. Trained actors — young and lithe — recreate key events that shaped the future of India. It’s a smorgasbord for the eyes.
Back in 1960, film director K Asif’s magnum opus, Mughal-E-Azam, started with the words of the narrator, “ Main Hindostan hoon” . The state-of-the art show begins at Naubat Khana, the drum house where royal musicians once played, with Bachchan’s booming baritone declaring “ Main waqt hoon (I am Time).” Over the next 10 minutes ‘Time’ takes the shape of a glowing manually operated puppet, much taller than a human, and becomes the storyteller.
Red Fort’s construction began on May 12, 1639 — a day decided by the court’s astrologers. The centrespread and centrepiece of the imperial city of Shahjahanabad, the city within a citadel is spread over a capacious 255 acres. After the opening remarks, the show harks back to April 6, 1648, the first day in its life. We hear Mughal princess Jahanara asking her kaneez (maidservant) to listen to the singing of the flowing Yamuna. Over eras, the river has receded several kilometres from the ramparts, but there was a time when it glided alongside the fort, feeding the moats surrounding it. Time changes everything, including a river’s path and fate.
The audience then shifts to the nearby Diwan-e-Aam. By its arches and columns, dancing women softly swivel to gentle music. It is a time-travel moment. The dancers move with the rhythm of long-play records as one feels transported to 17th century. Trumpets blow and drums ( nagaras ) beat as Shahjahan — personified in a giant-sized puppet — enters the fort, known in its earliest days as Qila-e-Mubarak.
Diwan-i-Khas is the setting for the third and final act. Over the next 40 minutes, history becomes living and experiential. The walls around Diwan-i-Khas become a giant screen where supple laser lights construct a melange of moving images recreating the war of succession after Shahjahan’s passing. The triumph of the ultra-conservative Aurangzeb and the beheading of his liberal brother, Dara Shikoh, mark the end of the era of music.
But the days of revelry return during the long reign of the ineffectual Mohammad Shah Rangila (1719-1748), who pursued pleasures like kids chasing butterflies. In 1739, the rampaging Nadir Shah of Iran invaded Delhi. Rangila capitulates. But rumours swirl that Shah has either died or been imprisoned. Some Iranian soldiers are attacked and slayed. An enraged Shah orders massacre and plunder. Those tragic but significant moments in the life of Delhi have been captured with Swiss clock-like precision in the son et lumiere. Scores of soldiers, armed with spear and shield, suddenly emerge from all sides of the stage, including the back of the audience. Dressed in dark green, they rush to the sound of angry music, flipping like acrobats in the air, performing to well-rehearsed routines. Art and action meld when the lights change to dark red, indicating the city’s gloom. Images of smoke and fire float across the walls as Delhi is drowned in screams. The scene ends with the carting away of the loot, including the Koh-i-noor and Takhte-Taus (Peacock Throne).
The show integrates short stories within the larger chronicle. How the Mughal king would hide the Koh-i-noor inside his turban, a fact that none knew except Noor Bai , a cultured tawaif (courtesan) of the time. Noor would reveal this secret to Nadir Shah, who would organise a turban-exchanging ceremony to get hold of it. In the decades that follow, the Marathas, and later the Sikhs, emerge as controlling powers.
Epochs leap as the show graphically and evocatively capsules the rise and spread of East India Company, the story of animal-greased cartridges and the Uprising, the dying notes of the Mughal empire, the British takeover, including Major Hobson’s slaughter of the rebels.
Fast forward nearly 100 years to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s Azad Hind Fauj. His radio broadcast, the stirring track, “ Kadam kadam badhaye ja” , the march and defeat of INA — reel and real blend. Faces merge like mobile murals and words become transient graffiti on the walls while actors enact the event on the ground. Shortly thereafter, India gains Independence. PM Jawaharlal Nehru makes an inspiring speech. Time completes a life cycle. But it doesn’t stop. Neither has the Red Fort.
The new museum inside Red Fort looks to take forward the idea of the past jumping out of the pages of history, giving visitors a feel of the heydays of Mughal Delhi. A 10-minute screening in Afreen — a 360-degree theatre — takes you back to the first day in the life of Lal Qila while ‘Afsana: The Red Fort Story’ offers a tour of the old city of Shahjahanabad. Here you also can smell the royal ittar of the hamams and hear ‘Vande Mataram’ being played on multiple musical instruments.
‘We wanted to do something new, fresh and world-class’ Puneet Dalmia is the CEO and MD of Dalmia Bharat Ltd, the organisation that’s the ‘monument mitra’ for Red Fort. He talks to Avijit Ghosh about the making and shaping of the sound and light show. Excerpts:
How was the show conceived?
The ministry of culture’s ‘Adopt a Heritage’ scheme invited private participation to create more engaging experiences at iconic heritage sites. In April 2018, Dalmia Bharat became the monument mitra for Red Fort. This is a 10-year contract with a 5-year checkpoint for renewal. It’s a public-private partnership and ASI has been a key part of the project.
How long did it take to fructify?
We wanted to do something new, fresh and world-class. What we came up with was not just a sound and light show, but a theatrical production where live actors and dancers perform. This has happened for the firsttime in a Unesco World Heritage site in India. The show was conceived in about 18 months, and took us another eight months to produce. It’s been going on for two years.
How much money was spent?
Total capital expenditure was Rs 25-30 crore. The operating expenses are high because live dancers perform twice a day every day, except Mondays. We spend Rs 15-18 crore every year to keep the show on.
Is there a larger message behind it?
When Union home minister (Amit Shah) inaugurated the show, he said historic places must become like prerna sthals (inspiring spaces). Creating pride in our history and uniting people is the larger vision. The idea is to show how resilient India has been despite invasions and how the spirit of India lives on.
What made you opt for Amitabh Bachchan for (Hindi) narration?
We wanted a voice that would resonate with the people of India. He was so supportive of the project. He said, ‘I will do it pro bono’.
Who are the artistes?
The dance and choreography are by a group called Lok Chhanda.
You may also like
Using surplus Puri temple wood to carve deities at Digha against ethics, morality: Suvendu Adhikari
South Korea reports 52 cases of measles, highest in 6 years
BBC Breakfast chaos as host 'missing' and guest 'cut off' in major on-air blunder
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer doubles down on Man Utd criticism as he slams transfer decision
3 soldiers killed in J&K highway accident
