Musical Fountain

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Tucked in the middle of Bangalore city is an oasis--a piece of protected land--surrounded by the fast-moving concrete jungle that has already taken a healthy bite out of the garden city. No, it's not the well-known Cubbon Park; it is the land that houses the Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain. Filled with an impressive array of mature trees, this smallish park is operated by the Department of Horticulture is a sight for sore eyes.

We stopped by today, purely on a whim, not really knowing what to expect. As its name would suggest, the main attraction of the park is a 30-minute musical fountain show. The park was relatively empty when we arrived but the numbers had swelled by the time the show started. Set to the eclectic sounds of regional music, the fountains swayed, swooshed, and swirled, with colored lights enhancing the visual feast. Some of the Kananda numbers were peppy, but unrecognizabe. However, there was plenty of familiar music, including "bolo tara ra", "sare jahan se achha", and "made in india." The backdrop was a slideshow that featured the major tourist destinations from Lal Quila to Hawa Mahal.

Thank heavens the garden city is still managing to keep its crown jewels from getting felled.

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