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Now we'll have a palace that speaks

Visitors to the much talked about Amber Fort in Jaipur will soon be able to hear the story of the imposing structure penned by noted poet and lyricist Gulzar and recited in Amitabh Bachchan's famous baritone.

A Delhi-based company, Integrated Digital Solutions (IDS), has conceived, produced and commissioned the project on a public-private partnership basis with the Amber Development and Management Authority (AD&MA).

The new initiative, ESPRO Digital Audio Guidance System (DAGS), is an attempt to re-build the splendour of the fort for visitors.

Already popular at tourist sites abroad, DAGS allows visitors to soak in the history of the place in a stimulating, new way and internalising the experience at their own pace.

Walking through the fort and listening to the story of a city that once flourished as the Rajput capital will make the magic of Amber come alive for visitors as the voice guide recreates the times of yore through tales, legends and a collection of stupendous conversations heard through a very simple handset.

The legendary character of Bhomiya, the spirit of the land, will lead visitors through the excursion, painting the palace in its glorious past.

"Sutradhaar"

Amitabh Bachchan has agreed to lend his voice for the "sutradhaar" (the narrator), the script for which has been written by Gulzar.

The track is laid with finely composed music to add the vibrant colours of opulence that Rajasthan is known for. To be launched in English, this one-hour audio guidance tour will gradually be available in other languages as well including Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali and Chinese (Mandarin).

Introduction of three European languages and an additional Far East language before the next tourist season begins is also on the anvil. An added bonanza for tourists visiting Amber will be the Son-et-Lumiére spectacle popularly known as the sound-and-light show to be launched before the beginning of the next tourist season. -- Smriti Kak Ramachandran

-- Smriti Kak Ramachandran

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