Hi-tech galleries, light & sound show enthral Jallianwala Bagh visitors
AMRITSAR: Four museum galleries are the new attractions for the visitors at Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial that was reopened after renovation for the public on Sunday. The refurbished monument was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday through video conferencing.
The galleries showcase the Jallianwala massacre and other key events of India’s freedom struggle through projection mapping and 3D representation, photographs and sculptural installations. At night, a light-and-sound show is another attraction at the revamped monument. “I had visited this place three years ago. Today’s Jallianwala bagh is different. The efforts made to display the history through modern techniques is amazing,” said Najar Singh, an elderly from Ludhiana. The garden has illumination and audio notes, besides the eye-catching landscaping and hardscaping.
Naresh Kumar, who along with his family came to pay obeisance at Golden Temple situated in the vicinity, made an unscheduled halt after seeing the crowd at the entrance of the Jallianwala Bagh. “I am feeling fortunate for getting the opportunity to visit this place sanctified with the blood of the patriots,” he said.
Meanwhile, the activists have also been alleging that the Union government has vanished originality of the national monument in the name of its renovation. They opposed the new look given to the narrow lane through which the British troops entered the garden to shoot at thousands of Indians assembled there on April 13, 1919. The redevelopment was done to mark the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
No clarity on entry ticket
Even as Rajya Sabha MP and trustee of Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust, Shwait Malik, had assured free entryto the after reopening, four ticket counters can be seen at the entrance of the memorial. Though Malik is reiterating free entry, security guards deployed there said the entry will be free for only a week and after that tickets will be available. Families of those killed in the massacre and activists have been opposing the paid entry.