Aastha Kukreti

Aastha Kukreti holds a Master’s degree in Environment Management and her areas of expertise range from waste management, pollution ecology, green audits, ecofeminism, environmental equity and social justice.

3 thoughts on ““Ishq-E-Dilli”: Sound and Light Show at Purana Qila

  1. I watched the show yesterday and it was amazing. It is historically almost accurate. I recommend it to everyone who visits Delhi.

  2. The Son-et-lumiere at the Purana Qila with its technological additions, 3D effects and impressive reviews beckoned me. The nondescript board at the entrance did nothing to douse my enthusiasm; neither did the sight of littered pet bottles and torn tickets callously strewn along our path. I wished visitors displayed better civic sense. I did realise as I approached the venue that we paid only for the sound and the light; the overpowering stench of sewage that pervaded our path was absolutely free!! And though we paid for our entry, we found that it was absolutely free for all the mosquitoes in the neighbourhood and did they outnumber us or what!! While ‘Isq e Dilli’ magically transformed the ruins of the fort into a screen and reproduced battles of yore from Mahabharat to Panipat to the revolt for independence, there was a larger invasion in progress immediately surrounding us mere mortals, with mosquitoes of all sizes and species bombarding us with stings and buzzing menacingly as we braved the onslaught to watch Delhi’s dastaan unfold before our now foggy eyes! The lone guard at the entrance brought out Tortoise mosquito coils, half of them without the stands, to help us deal with the swarms of bloodsuckers! It is such a pity that we showcase timeless treasures such as the Purana Qila to the world with such disdain! What memories will foreigners who visit our country with great expectations, carry back with them? And what messages will they spread about our glorious monuments, which have stood the ravages of time and witnessed glory after glory of our enchanting land? What if they carry back more than just memories? Photographs of cows and stray dogs on roads have inflicted damage already in the past. Do we need fresh, ugly pictures doing the rounds on the internet? And what if they carry back diseases such as dengue and malaria? Why foreigners alone? We citizens too certainly do not deserve such return gifts! The moral of the experience: It took elephants, horses, mighty weapons and grit of steel of ruthless warriors to destroy Delhi in the past. In today’s hi tech world of nanotechnology, all it will take is a tiny mosquito to destroy the credibility and pride of Delhi, not to speak of its hapless citizens, of course. KalyaniV

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