NEW DELHI, INDIA, December 5,2001: A multi-media exhibition that applies some of the latest interactive technology to one of India’s most sacred cities, Varanasi (Banaras), has just ended in the Indian capital of Delhi. It took viewers on a virtual journey — including a ride on an electronic rickshaw — to explore what is widely believed to be one of the world’s oldest living cities. The director of the unusual exhibition, Ranjit Makkuni, said his objective was to demystify modern technology by presenting it in culturally recognizable forms. At a turn of its handle, it takes you through Varanasi’s streets. The exhibition also included an installation that focuses on the Ganges in the form of what Makkuni calls an electronic-pot. Footage of the river as it actually flows by Varanasi is interspersed with classical dance recitals by some of India’s leading artists telling the story of the river’s arrival on Earth via the matted locks of God Siva.
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