PM Modi inaugurated 55-foot Hanuman statue, 3D laser show delighted crowd

New Delhi: After Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s online proclamation of the event’s opening, the 55-foot-tall Hanuman Statue at the Seetaramaswami Temple suddenly sprang to life in front of a surprised crowd and journalists. T S Pattabhiraman, Trustee Sri Seetharamaswami Temple Trust, is the show’s producer and host.

As a result, the audience went wild. In a way that could only have happened in fiction, they saw Lord Hanuman roar to life.

This laser projection mapping performance was the conclusion of years of research into recasting the vocabulary and metaphors of traditional religious art forms in the language of cutting-edge technology.

MANI SHANKAR, director of the critically acclaimed films 16 December, Tango Charlie, and Knock Out, and a tech guru who holds a Guinness world record, conceived of, created, and oversaw the production of the 3D Laser Projection Mapping event.

Bollywood composer Roshin Balu noted, “The director wanted to deliver a feel of “Thrissur Puram,” the festival of elephants for which the city is famous.” So I decided to spice up the music with some traditional instruments like the Nadaswaram and the ‘Mund’ percussions.

The performance’s production designer, Anjali Joshi, said, “The director wanted to present the show with a dominant theme of gold.” If you’re looking for gold jewellery in India, you should go to Thrissur. Therefore, we embellished the visual fabric with gold, making the show an essential part of the Thrissur landscape.

Re-imagining Divinity with Reverence is how Mani Shankar characterises his work. By following the proper rituals, a statue may be brought to life (or at least given the appearance of life) in Hindu ritealism, a notion called as Praana Pratishta. Here we have re-imagined it in terms of the visual and emotional arts. If people are feeling more joy and respect for Lord Hanuman as they watch, then our work has paid off,” he says.

Shri. T S Pattabhiraman, the temple’s trustee, said, “We want to ignite the fire of devotion in the younger generation, and this beautiful laser show has contributed so much to that cause.”

The co-producer, Shri Ramaswamy (Kanna) adds, “This is the first laser projection mapping show on a religious icon in Kerela.”

The end part has a Phala Sruthi with a soft trance chant of Ram Ram, leading the viewers to a serene silence. The visual fabric has been inspired by the ancient & powerful ideas of Purusha Suktam of the Rg Veda, the vibrant lyrics of Goswami Tulsidas ji and Valmiki’s storytelling of Ramayana. Mani Shankar and his associates have created a visual, emotional metaphor of both the Invisible Divinity of the Nirakaara Purusha and its Visible Manifestations as Lord Rama and Lord Hanuman.

Mani Shankar and his team are Mobile 3D Lifesize holography experts, for which he holds the Guinness world record. They also work with AI-integrated Augmented reality and Virtual reality.