The turnout for light and sound show at the Teppakulam of the Rockfort Temple has been dwindling gradually after its inauguration in December 2023.
The shows have been curtailed and are being held only on weekends. With a capacity to seat 50 people on the steps where spectators sit down to watch the show, it features three 30-minute videos, which cost ₹50 per adult and ₹25 for children.
Some of those who had witnessed the shows felt that it was repetitive and lacked variety. They felt that given the investment of ₹8.8 crore under the Smart Cities Mission made for the project, better technology could have been used to highlight many other historic facets of Tiruchi.
“We can watch the shows once, after which there’s nothing new to see. It gets repetitive and that’s why it does not draw much crowd these days,” said M. Muruganandan and felt that the shows could be more inclusive.
Some wondered whether the show could disturb the ecology of the pond. “Laying pipes in the Teppakulam pond could disturb its ecosystem. There could be better ways to highlight the city’s attractions by using other technologies or a projector to screen the shows,” said T. Raghu.
“There are plans to add new content and install a new audio system. The new content will be introduced in six months and will highlight various historic places such as Woraiyur and other landmarks of the city.” said V. Saravanan, Tiruchi Corporation Commissioner.