Trial run of the light and sound show under way at the peace pagoda in Dhauli on Tuesday.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik would inaugurate the project, taken up jointly by the India Tourism Development Corporation and the state government, on the rath yatra day.

Tricolor India Schauspiel Private Limited, a foreign direct investment venture of the UK-based projection studio which has executed similar shows across the globe, is taking care of the project here.

Transformation of Asoka from Chandasoka to Dharmasoka, spread of Buddhism from Kalinga to the Southeast Asian countries will be the theme of the 35-minute show.

While actor Om Puri will render his voice for the Hindi script, actor Kabir Bedi will read out the English version. Bijay Mohanty will lend his voice for the Odia part.

The corporation is providing funds and technological assistance, while the government has prepared the script. In future, the Sun Temple at Konark and the Khandagiri-Udayagiri caves in Bhubaneswar will also host such shows. For the three shows, the corporation will spend Rs 15 crore and the state Rs 4.5 crore.

Some of the other projects handled by the company include The Queen's Golden Jubilee and Second World War-II celebrations at the Buckingham Palace, FIFA Football World Cup Closing Ceremony in South Africa, The Commonwealth Games in Manchester, Pittsburgh Festival of Lights in USA, Light for the Arab World in Oman, New York Public Library, Lux Zee Cine Awards, MTV Music Award, New Years celebrations by Mayor of London, University of Cambridge's 800th anniversary celebrations and many more.

Text by Bibhuti Barik, Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee