Google, Central Railway showcase Indian heritage on video screens

In an unique initiative, the Central Railway and Google have joined hands to put up video installations at the famed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) showcasing the rich Indian cultural heritage for commuters and passengers who use it daily.

Built in 1887, the iconic CSMT is a Unesco World Heritage site. The videos will be onsite for the next two months, catching the attention of lakhs of daily Mumbai commuters and thousands of long-distance passengers from all over India as they wait for their trains.

The videos are from the Google Arts & Culture, which is its online platform for global culture, and the videos enable the commuters to explore Indian culture, heritage, its beauty and treasures, artworks, miniatures paintings and bronze sculptures from the National Museum, Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore's paintings from the Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata, and many rare digital exhibits from museums in India and abroad.

The installations were inaugurated on Thursday by C.R. General Manager D.K. Sharma, Railway Board Secretary R.K. Verma, Google Vice-President (Search) Ben Gomes and other senior officials.

Some other important presentations are a view from atop one of the four minars of the Taj Mahal, glimpses of the Ajanta Caves, the Red Fort and other prominent sites.

Besides, Gomes said commuters can use the free Railtel WiFi at the CSMT station to download the free Google Arts & Culture mobile app to explore more of Indian cultural gems while on the go.

Among some of the top Indian institutions which have provided digital exhibits for the app are the Archaeological Survey of India, the National Gallery of Modern Art and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum, Mumbai.

--IANS

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