Chicago, March 14, 2005
Indian Americans have extended their support to
Ganga Dham, a hi-tech mythological theme park to be
set up in India on the lines of Disneyland with characters
like Hanuman instead of Mickey Mouse.
The park is to be built on the banks of the Ganges
in Haridwar, Uttaranchal, and will bring together
an entire pantheon of Hindu gods, including Ram, Krishna
and Hanuman.
Shiv Sagar, grandson of film and television maker
Ramanand Sagar - whose serial "Ramayana"
set an unbeatable record for TV viewership - is on
a tour of the US to seek NRI support.
The Sagar family is setting up the park, and Shiv
Sagar, who studied at the Les Roches hotel management
school in Switzerland, and the Indian School of Business,
Hyderabad, is the project's CEO.
Ganga Dham, to be set up on a 25-acre site, will
feature high tech rides, with Hanuman, among others,
recreating great moments in Hindu mythology, an animated
mythological museum, food courts, a temple city, a
sound and light show and a petting zoo.
"Conceptually, the park is a no-brainer,"
Shiv Sagar told IANS. Indian epics like the Ramayana
had unquestionable brand equity. "Over one billion
people have seen the TV serial. It has been shown
in 60 languages and in over 100 countries."
Sagar said he was projecting Ganga Dham as a place
where visitors could learn about ancient Indian mythology
in a "fun way". It was specially focused
on children.
"If children want to learn about mythology,
they are not going to read the 'Ram Charit Manas'.
A lot of children learnt about Ramayana by watching
TV. It is the children who will force their parents
to visit the park."
The first phase of the project will cost about Rs.300
million (about $6.5 million). Sagar wants to raise
about $2 million in the US. "There is a tremendous
interest among NRIs. We have already raised $1 million,"
he said.
Ganga Dham will be an "infotainment destination".
The park will capitalise on the status of Haridwar
as the "Vatican for Hindus", Sagar said.
He intends to blend the hi-tech with traditional art
to present information with entertainment.
"We will have a live Ram Lila show. We also
intend to tie up with an American company for the
supply of robots for animatronics presentations,"
he said.
"If Mickey Mouse can be the central character
in a theme park in the US, I don't see why characters
from our mythology cannot be," Sagar said, "There
cannot be stronger characters than those in the Ramayana,
or the other epics."
Video theatres will depict mythological stories,
like the story of the Ganges, in about 20 minutes.
"We will have special effects like sprinklers,
three dimension effects and a simulator ride synchronized
with the audio visuals. We don't want to make it a
place where people come to pray. We have enough temples
in India," Sagar said.
Sagar is confident the project would be economically
viable, considering that 20 million people visit Haridwar
every year. "The 1998 Kumbh Mela attracted 30
million people. We are expecting a much larger number
at the 2010 Kumbh Mela, by which time the park will
be fully operational. The ticket will be only Rs.35.
Our intention is to make it accessible to everyone.
It is a business certainly, but we also have a spiritual
motive. It is not just about making money."
Sagar has already secured investments from several
people, including Alice Coltrane, a musician, and
widow of jazz maestro John Coltrane. (IANS)
