Stopped a decade and four ago, son et lumière to resume from Dec

Kolkata: The Light and Sound show at Jorasanko Thakurbari that was stalled for some unknown reasons fourteen years back is all set to make a comeback. The Rabindra Bharati University (RBU) authority in collaboration with the state Tourism department is optimistic about resuming the Light and Sound show from December.

The entire Jorasanko campus of RBU is undergoing a renovation for which the Tourism department is allocating Rs 2.81 crore of which Rs 1.4 crore is being spent for the light and sound facilities with laser lights. Work will be completed by November and the university is going to invite Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to inaugurate it.

In addition to the Light and Sound show, the university is also preparing a 30-minute documentary depicting the childhood of Rabindra Nath Tagore, the history of the Tagore family and his contribution to the Bengal Renaissance. Thespian Soumitra Chatterjee has lent his voice in the documentary. Elocutionist Bratati Bandopadhyay will recite the Tagore poems in the documentary. The varsity is also planning to make the documentary in Hindi and English too.

"Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is leaving no stone unturned to promote tourism in a big way. The Jorasanko Thakurbari attracts national as well as international tourists as the inquisitiveness among people to delve into the life and works of the poet is always on the rise. So we have chalked out elaborate plans to woo more tourists," a senior official of the Tourism department said.

There will be LED screens with 3D facilities and around 100 seating arrangement for the visitors to enjoy the documentary and the light and sound show. There will be tickets for the show, the rates for which will be decided later.

The Jorasanko Thakurbari is the ancestral home of the Tagore family and the place where the first non-European Nobel laureate poet, Rabindranath Tagore was born. It is also the place where he spent most of his childhood and died on August 7, 1941.

"We hope that the renovated RBU will attract more and more tourists and people will gain knowledge about the ideals and culture of Tagore," a senior RBU official said.