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Let the music play: Chandigarh’s Rose Garden pedestrian underpass to get public karaoke point
Ever thought you could belt out a few songs to entertain the public, but never had the opportunity?
Ever thought you could belt out a few songs to entertain the public, but never had the opportunity?
Well, now is your chance, as the city is about to get its first public karaoke facility.
Coinciding with the beginning of the Rose Festival on February 28, the UT engineering department will be launching a karaoke junction at the Rose Garden-Sector 17 pedestrian underpass from next week.
With a tunnel-like ambience of the underpass, the karaoke point promises fun galore, that too, free of cost. The facility has cost the city ₹8 lakh, which includes the equipment for live music that will be streamed across the underpass and the green area adjoining it.
Confirming the development, UT’s chief engineer Mukesh Anand said, “The tender for the setting up the facility has been allotted and trial runs are underway. From next week, people visiting the underpass will be able to enjoy karaoke.”
The underpass connecting Rose Garden and Sector 17 was inaugurated by the Punjab governor and UT administrator, VPS Badnore, on January 8. The underpass allows visitors to go directly across to Rose Garden without crossing Jan Marg, one of the busiest roads in the city.
The engineering department, which came under severe criticism for construction of the ₹9 crore underpass, is now looking at ways to develop the place into a tourist attraction in itself, and not just as a transient space. For the first ten days after its inauguration, the Lalit Kala Academy had organised an art exhibition with paintings on display.
With the launch of karaoke next week, the department, in collaboration with Lalit Kala Academy, Chandigarh, will also host an exhibition of block paintings at the underpass.
“The place is becoming a cultural hub of sorts. People responded well to the earlier exhibition. We will facilitate more such exhibitions,” said Anand.
This year, the Plaza area of Sector 17 will also be part of the Rose Festival. Visitors to the sector will be in for a treat with food stalls, exhibitions of art and craft, and live cultural programmes at the plaza. The engineering department is also trying to tap into the expected increased footfall during Rose Festival.