The Fountain of Joy

It was a rather joyless time for the Calcutta Electric Supply Company when in 1991 its generous gift of a musical dancing fountain, located near the Victoria Memorial in the city's Maidan Park, was denigrated by critics and protested by protesters. How dare the power company waste electricity when the Indian city was plagued by blackouts and so many of its poorest residents had no electricity to light their homes, let alone entertain themselves with a fountain! The fountain was abandoned. But the urban mood has changed since then, and in 2012 the fluttering fountain was reopened. With its valves opening and closing 12 times a second, this joyful fountain dances to the rhythm of music, creating wave after wave of amazing effects for the eyes.