As railways enter 170th year, grand celebrations at CSMT

The Indian Railway is celebrating the completion of its 169 years in a very unique way. The 134-year-old UNESCO World Heritage site of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) will come alive this Sunday. Several artists will come together to present different emotions through live music and dance in a first-of-its-kind event called ‘Navarasangam’. However, for this event to be showcased, the Central Railway authorities have sought permission from the traffic police to close down road traffic for a few hours on Sunday late evening in and around CSMT.

The Indian Railway began its journey from Mumbai on April 16, 185, and would now be entering the 170th year of its service. And so this unique light and sound cum performance show is scheduled for this weekend at CSMT. The show would be depicting the history of Indian Railway through the eyes of this Victorian Gothic edifice standing tall since 1888.

The CR officials said that they are trying to represent the various emotions of the nine rasas of ‘Natyashastra’. “The programme would be presented through dance, drama, music, poetry and vocal renditions bringing out the different emotions based on various historical episodes of the history of CSMT building, Railways and the country,” said CR chief PRO Shivaji Sutar.

The one-hour show called ‘Navarasangam – ek gatha CSMT ki’ will be presented by 70 artists showcasing rich history of the railway. The original audio track has also been created by a team of artists working for the CR. Over the past couple of days now, rehearsals are undergoing at night along with lighting and sound. The artists would be performing under the aegis of Central Railway Cultural Academy.

For this show, LED-based themed lighting systems will be used. The technology of LED fittings has more than a million combinations of lights which will be used to illuminate the station building. The CSMT building will be lit up with around 1100 lights of which brightness of over 450 lights had decreased due to ageing. “We have replaced all these 450 lights with new technology LED ones,” said another CR official.

Considering the attractive and immersive light and sound, the CR authorities expect a considerable crowd to watch this show. Sources said that they will be closing the CSMT building main gate and limited entry will be given; however they are worried about the people trying to watch this show standing on the road and footpath.

Senior CR officials said that they have informed the local authorities and police about the same so that there isn't a problem of vehicular traffic outside CSMT. This show is expected to start at 8.30-9pm on Sunday. The dignitaries coming for the event include top officials from railway ministry as well as 20-25 artists like musicians, classical dancers, conservationists, architects, among others.