ASI brings alive slices of history in heritage celebration

If you are at the Red Fort on Saturday afternoon, you can catch a glimpse of Mughal-era begums at the fort’s diwan-i-khas. This is a part of the ASI’s celebration of World Heritage Week.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is organising the play in association with theatre group Darwesh on the Mughal period. The play is scheduled to begin at 2.30 pm. Its duration is 10 minutes. However, the play will be repeated based on the response from visitors at Red Fort.

“Visitors can view a slice of life in the diwan-i-khas from the Mughal period. The scene that will be enacted is a conversation between sisters Jahanara and Roshanara. While Jahanara sided with Dara Shikoh, Roshanara was loyal to Aurangzeb. The play will bring alive conversations from textbooks between the sisters,” a senior ASI official said.
The heritage week is being celebrated from November 19 to 25.

The ASI has planned similar activities on November 25, for which the theme is Muhammd-bin-Tughlaq. A heritage week has been organised at Tughlaqabad Fort on that day. “During the heritage walk, a person will be dressed as Muhammd-bin-Tughlaq and enact a small part,” the official said.

There will be other activities throughout the week that will focus on other chapters of history. A heritage walk has been organised on the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny on November 23. The walk, which will start at 9 am, will cover Kashmere Gate, Nicholson’s Cemetery and Telegraph Memorial.

“Anybody is free to join the walk. All the places associated with the Sepoy Mutiny will be visited during this walk,” the official said.

The ASI is also holding cleanliness drives at major heritage sites alongside other events. A health camp at the Red Fort has been added to the celebration calendar to bring variety in the events.

A photo exhibition of archival images and sketches of Qutb Minar complex was organised at the World Heritage Site on the inaugural day of the World Heritage Week. The exhibition was inaugurated by R S Bisht, former joint DG of ASI and renowned archaeologist.