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INDIA: February 11, 2004: Imagine sitting on the jetty in Kanyakumari, facing the Vivekananda rock. When the sun goes down the rock lights up and projected on it is an audio-visual story of Swami Vivekananda. There is music, sound effects, voice-overs and light effects that capture the ambience of the time that the Swami lived in. This program at Kanyakumari will become a reality by October this year. Son et lumiere (sound and light) programs are the strategy that the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) is focusing on to attract visitors to historical sites. Son et lumiere shows are not new to the Indian historical sites. ITDC has been promoting them for some years now. The company has produced eight such shows and plans to introduce news ones at 10 other sites by the year-end. Shows are in the works for Chittorgarh and Kumbalgarh in Rajasthan this month, Haridwar and Orissa’s Udaigiri Caves by April 2004, Vivekananda Rock (Kanyakumari) and Hampi by October 2004. Ayodhya, the monastery in Daman and Deogarh in Jharkhand will also have Son et lumiere shows by the end of the year. “Our concept of Son et lumiere shows is one where a visitor to these historical sites is both entertained and educated,” says Chandni Luthra, senior vice president, ITDC. According to her it is part of a concerted effort by the state and central tourism departments to increase the tourist flows. Last year, India featured among the top 10 destinations in the Conde Nast Traveller. There were an estimated 3 million tourists flocking India in 2003.

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