CR to organise light-n-sound show at CSMT to mark 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', railways' 170 years of service

The Central Railway CR said it will organise a light and sound-cum-performance show called Navarasangam Ek Gatha CSMT Ki at the Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus CSMT, a UNESCO heritage site here, on the coming Sunday.

The Central Railway (CR) said it will organise a light and sound-cum-performance show called 'Navarasangam – Ek Gatha CSMT Ki' at the Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), a UNESCO heritage site here, on the coming Sunday. The show is meant to celebrate the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' and to mark the 170th year of the Railway's in India, the CR said in a release. ''The show will depict the history through the various emotions of the nine rasas (emotions) of 'Natyashastra','' it said, adding that it is to commemorate the first journey of Railways in India, 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' and the Railway Week and World Heritage Day (on April 18).

The first train in Asia (and India) ran between Mumbai and Thane on April 16, 1853, whereas the Indian Railways enters into its 170th year of service to the nation from April 16, 2022. 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, it said. ''CSMT is a pride of Indian Railways and entire railway fraternity. To celebrate the heritage and architecture of this building, we are staging a unique light and sound-cum-performance show on the backdrop of this building,'' said Anil Kumar Lahoti, general manager of the Central Railway. The event 'Navarasangam' will showcase the Indian cultural canvas by 70 artists, who are railway employees and the original audio track has also been created by its team. The CR also said that an upgraded version of LED (RGB & W) lights is being used for illuminating the CSMT building. The 134-year-old CSMT complex has been lit up with around 1,100 lights, the release said, adding that of the total, 450 lights have been replaced with new technology LED lights as the brightness of the old lights was decreased due to aging, it added. The CSMT is the first railway station in Maharashtra to get IGBC Gold certification in 2021. It is also a Eat Right certified station. The terminus handles about 48 pairs of long-distance trains and about 1,200 suburban trains on a daily basis.