The appearance of India’s first musical road sends a strong message about the govt’s commitment to overall well-being

India’s first musical road is on a 500-metre stretch called Dharmaveer Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Marg and plays Jai Ho when vehicles move on specially marked grooves at a set speed. Pic/PTI

I learned a lot of things about infrastructure and technology this February. One reason was my decision to skip the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi, because I’m told no one who attended it learned anything of importance. The other was the announcement of a melody strip on a mysterious stretch of road called Dharmaveer Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Marg. Apparently, those lucky enough to drive down this 500-metre pathway will be entertained by a tune, which I suspect will prompt thousands of drivers to reroute their commutes. I can also imagine tourists extending their vacations in Bombay to record this drive for their Instagram reels. It makes me want to applaud whoever came up with the idea, irrespective of what it may have cost.

There was some muttering about misplaced priorities, as well as complaints about the incessant noise bothering neighbours, which annoyed me. This sort of bickering........

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