JOIN USASI to make queues fun
Soon, you will be treated to a short documentary film if you are waiting in a queue at Qutab Minar or Red Fort.
The Archaeological Survey of India is planning to install screens outside ticketed monuments in the city. These screens will feature around four-minute-long documentaries, introducing visitors to the monuments.
“In the first phase, we are planning to install screens outside Qutab Minar and Red Fort as these two ticketed monuments see the highest footfall. People have to usually wait in a long queue before they are let in. With a documentary running, this waiting period will be well utilised,” said a senior ASI official who has ideated the project.
The proposal is, however, awaiting the ASI Directorate General’s approval.
Virtual glimpse
One screen will be installed outside each site. The location of the screen will be such that visitors get a virtual glimpse of the heritage site while purchasing tickets.“We are aiming at corporate tie-up for installation of the screens. The documentary making has to be carefully done and we will hand over the task to professionals,” added the official.
The short documentary will first give a brief background of the historic importance of the heritage sites.
It will then give visitors an idea of the most important structures the particular heritage site houses and their significance.
Story narrated
Other details like when was the monument built and the intricacies of the architecture would also be narrated through the documentary.
“Most visitors do not read about a heritage site before they visit it. Through this initiative, we want to introduce them to the site before they tour it. The visual impact is likely to be more effective than a written material. It will immediately occur to the visitors what the diwan-i-aam and diwani-i-khas of the Red Fort stand for once they watch the documentary,” said the senior official.
Meanwhile, the ASI is also planning to conduct a survey the public amenities available at each heritage site in the city. “We wil conduct a survey of all the heritage sites to see if public amenities like washrooms, cleanliness of the site, landscaping are in place. On the basis of the report, we will plan the future course of action,” said DG Rakesh Tewari.