Hear 'Jai Ho' on the go! Mumbai launches India's first ‘Musical Road’ playing AR Rahman's award-winning song
Mumbai introduced India's first musical road, allowing motorists to hear 'Jai Ho' from Slumdog Millionaire while crossing this unique route. The road features rumble strips designed to create sound waves on the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Coastal Road.
Are musical roads a thing? In a first for India, Mumbai introduced this unique project on the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Coastal Road. Shortly after exiting the Coastal Road tunnel, commuters will enter 500-metre-long musical road which has been developed on the northbound carriageway between Nariman Point and Worli.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis graced the launch event along with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Inaugurated by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), this stretch has been engineered using specially designed rumble strips placed into the asphalt at regular intervals and depths.
- BMC in a post on X stated, "🛣️Dharmaveer, Swarajya Rakshak Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Chinari Road's Musical Road was inaugurated today in the presence of Honorable Chief Minister Shri. Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Shri. Eknath Shinde..”
The post added, “Special musical strips installed on the stretch from Session Rimmon Point to Worli will allow drivers to hear the tune of 'Jai Ho' from the movie 'Slumdog Millionaire.'”
Here's what commuters will hear while crossing this route:
What happens when vehicles travel over these grooves?
Motorists travelling at a speed of around 60 to 80 kmph will be able to hear the tune of ‘Jai Ho’, the Academy Award-winning song composed by AR Rahman for the film Slumdog Millionaire.
Musical Road: How it works?
The interaction between the tyres and the road surface produces vibrations which generates sound waves, recreating the tune of ‘Jai Ho’ song from Danny Boyle's Oscar winning film.
Mumbai's Municipal Corporation has installed signboards reading 500 metres, 100 metres and 60 metres ahead of the musical stretch. These signboards are displayed even within the tunnel section.
Social media reaction
Reacting to the development about musical roads, a user mocked the authorities and stated, "Thank you BMC for installing this "musical road" in my area." He attached a video over the concerning situation of roads in other parts of the city.
Another user wrote, “No proper roads in suberbs and musical road for south? (sic)”
A third comment read, “Roads are not cleaned and pot hole free.”'
A fourth user stated, "What? Did we need MORE noise on our roads? Or, did some genius think that we will stop honking because "let's listen to that song again"?"
A fifth user remarked, “Superb.. I have seen this few months on social media and now it's in India. Thanks to government and@mybmc.”
Countries with melody roads
This concept was first introduced in Japan in 2007 and was consequently implemented in multiple countries including Hungary, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. in India, Mumbai’s installation of melody road is the first of its kind.