Sound and Light fails to shed light on history

The show which was to begin this year has turned out to be a non-starter.

The much hyped Sound and Light programme that was supposed to showcase the historical splendour of Srirangapatna during this Dasara festivities did not take off even this year.

Every year, when preliminary preparations begin for the Dasara festivities, discussions on arranging the Sound and Light show are held at great lengths. A team of officials make spot inspection and hold meetings. But the whole episode is forgotten as and when the festival is over.

This year, plans were on to showcase the history of Srirangapatna during the first Independence Struggle in 1857, and the Karnataka Tourism Development Corporation had taken up the project at a cost of Rs three crore, which in turn identified a private company in Bangalore to execute the project.

It was decided to recreate important incidences during the rule of Tipu. Construction of replicas of Sriranganatha temple, Tipu Palace, Jamma Masjid, Batheri and others works are still in progress.

The administration had also released Rs one crore to provide basic amenties on the spot. The officials of Tourism department who visited the spot during the last week of September had assured that the programme will take off on the scheduled date, much before the commencement of Dasara festivities in Mysore.

However, three days of Srirangapatna Dasara is over and the festival will come to a close in the next two days, but the programme has remained a no-show even this year.

However, Krishnakumar of Innovative Company said that the works would be completed by the end of this month and visitors will have the opportunity to get a glimpse into the history, soon.