Iconic light & sound show back at Hussainiwala
The iconic light and sound show at the National Martyrs' Memorial in Hussainiwala came back to life on Sunday after a 22-month hiatus.
HT has highlighted in its report on June 10 that this was not functional since August 2023.
The ₹5.7 crore installation—a tribute to India's revolutionary freedom fighters—had remained shut since August 2023 after being severely damaged by flooding from the Sutlej river.
Punjab Tourism director Sanjeev Tiwari visited the site and confirmed the show's revival.
'We're ready to reopen it for the public and will officially hand it over to the Hussainiwala Trust starting tomorrow,' he said following an inspection of the restored infrastructure.
First launched in November 2021 under the Union government's Swadesh Darshan scheme, the 41-minute multi-sensory show was created to honour freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev. Using projection mapping and immersive audio, it quickly became a major tourist attraction, offering a powerful retelling of India's freedom movement.
The August 2023 floods caused extensive damage, including the destruction of five high-powered projectors.
Although the project was developed and maintained by a private company under a five-year agreement, the company declined to fund repairs, arguing that flood damage qualified as a natural disaster and was beyond their contractual obligations. This led to prolonged delays in restoration.
Highlighting its deeper significance, educationist Gurtej Singh Koharwala said, 'This isn't just a spectacle—it's a dynamic homage to revolutionaries like Chandra Shekhar Azad, BK Dutt, and Lala Lajpat Rai. Its revival will be vital for preserving our national memory.'
With the show now back in operation, officials are hopeful that it will rekindle both public interest and a deeper emotional connection to India's Independence movement.
At the National Martyrs' Memorial in Hussainiwala, visitors can now again experience a distinctive simulation of a train ride set in the pre-Partition era and was introduced here during the last Congress regime but lying defunct since August 2023 floods here.
This experience takes place in a specially designed 36-seat railway coach equipped with LCD screens that showcase historical visuals of Lahore, such as the Lahore Railway Station and Kissa Khwani Bazaar, accompanied by a narrated commentary. The initiative was designed to deepen public understanding of the region's past and its historical ties to Lahore.
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