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Musical fountain to retell history of erstwhile South Kanara district

Last Updated 22 March 2017, 19:04 IST

The rich history of the erstwhile South Kanara district will soon take the visitors to Deer Park to a bygone era.

The upcoming musical fountain at the park opposite Kadri Park will have a new feature in a laser show dedicated to retell the history of the district that later was bifurcated as Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.

The 10-minute script in Kannada prepared by a committee headed by Prof B A Viveka Rai, former vice-chancellor of Kannada University, Hampi, has been finalised, with the search for a narrator with deep baritone on, to record the voice-over for permanent.

Landmarks on water
Mangaluru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) Commissioner Srikanth Rao told DH, “The concept is such that, as the history will be narrated starting with European influence. The pictures of St Aloysius Chapel, the oldest chapel in the city, followed by the Kadri temple and the oldest mosque in the district, among other landmark structures that form the past, will be screened on dancing water. It is modelled on the lines of the fountain at Swami Narayan Akshardham Temple in Gujarat.”

The work on fountain is designed by BNA Technology, Bengaluru, the brain behind the popular musical fountain at Brindavan Gardens at KRS in Mandya district. The work is almost complete, with plans afoot to launch a trial sooner.

Once the fountain is commissioned, it will be of 20 minutes’ duration, with 50,000 litres of water used for the purpose. Water will be recycled for the purpose, while round-the-clock power supply will be ensured to promise a hassle-free show after dusk. The maximum capacity of water jets is 20 metres in vertical, with different types of jets used to maintain the levels, higher and lower. The control behind the fountain will be manned by dedicated technicians.

Stage to dance
Not to ignore the fun-loving youth who jive for songs, a separate stage has been built in the front (of the fountain), with interlock tiles covering the surface. Such fun-loving youth can make use of the platform, while they get drenched in the dancing waters. The open air gallery with a seating capacity for 250 people has been built on the opposite.

“The entry fee to the park is yet to be fixed, but it will be nominal, he assured. The fee will also be the ticket for musical fountain,” Commissioner Srikanth Rao said.

Rao attributed the four-acre park getting a new look to the vision of Mangaluru South MLA J R Lobo and MUDA Chairman Suresh Ballal. “It includes a children’s play area, all encompassed by walking path with equal focus on enhancing the greenery making use of existing trees and soon to be developed lawns on the mounted space. The total project cost is Rs 4.97 crore with Rs 2.45 crore spent on fountain, followed by civil works,” said Rao.

Ballal said, “The fountain will also feature the significance of Yakshagana, Bhootaradhane and other prominent cultural connections of the district. It is expected to be a summer offering, with the works underway in full swing, to open the park for visitors in April.”
DH News Service

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(Published 22 March 2017, 19:04 IST)

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