Did you know Red Fort changes colour? It turns into an array of colour every weekend for the sound and light show. This is one of Red Fort’s main attractions. Tourists love Lal Qila just as much as locals. Delhi is not itself without the architectural marvel. Allowing public to enjoy it in such a unique way is a blessing. Fun fact: Red Fort’s original name was Qila-e-Mubarak meaning the blessed fort. It was also originally white, Shah Jahan’s favourite colour but, the British painted it red and renamed it the Red Fort. We’re just glad there are no more changes we need to get used to. Although, we do wonder how striking a sound and light show would be on white walls!
What is it
The one-hour spectacle retraces the history of Delhi and the fort. Delhi has a painful history as it has been torn to pieces and rebuilt several times. To us, Lal Qila is a metaphor for what survived despite blood. Red Fort towers 33 meters over the city, bold and beautiful; it never ages, never withers, much like the legacy of its creator. When those walls turn into a screen, everything else vanishes. Even your peripheral vision stops to work. The gripping graphics leave foreigners with a wonderful memory and reminds Indians how great things around us are. The mighty Mughal empire’s conquests and failures of 300 years end with Nehru’s moving speech. We don’t know how much the national anthem affects people in movie theatres. But, when it played at the end of this sound and light show, we truly felt lucky to be in our culture-rich country.
How to plan it
Keep in mind the beautiful mess that is Delhi-6. Arrive well in advance, specially if you want to pay a visit to old Delhi’s legendary food joints. You could do this after the show too if you pick an early slot. They run it in both Hindi and English. The seasonal schedule varies in timings starting an hour early in peak winter. Otherwise, it varies between 7 and 7:30 pm in Hindi, followed by the English version right after. It would be wise not to drive there considering empty parking space is like Eid ka chaand at Red Fort.
Ditch cafés and malls for a real Dilli wala experience. Take a walk down memory lane with Delhi and live the life that happened before you were born. Besides, foreigners are paying ₹500 for this while we Indians enjoy a subsidy at just ₹35. Don’t let it go to waste!