Drivers on Coastal Road to Experience ‘Jai Ho’ Tune as Chief Minister Inaugurates India’s First Musical Road
[By Sapna Desai Mumbai Samachar Desk]
Mumbai: India’s first musical road will be inaugurated on Wednesday by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Motorists traveling from Nariman Point towards Worli on the Mumbai Coastal Road will encounter a unique driving experience due to specially installed musical strips on the roadway.
The Mumbai Coastal Road, which has become synonymous with traffic-free, fast, and comfortable travel, now features a special technological music lane for drivers. When vehicles pass over this melody road lane, they will hear the ‘Jai Ho’ song from the film Slumdog Millionaire. This marks the world’s fifth such experiment and India’s first. The new initiative will be inaugurated on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at 12:30 PM in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis.
This innovative experiment has been implemented on the northbound route from Nariman Point to Worli on the Mumbai Coastal Road constructed by the municipal corporation. After exiting the underground tunnel heading toward Worli, musical strips have been installed 500 meters ahead from the first lane adjacent to the divider. When vehicles are driven at speeds of 70 to 80 kilometers per hour over these strips, passengers inside can hear the tune of the “Jai Ho” song. Grooves and rumble strips have been installed at specific intervals and in precise shapes on the road surface. When vehicles pass over these strips at the designated speed, the sound waves generated by wheel friction are calibrated to produce the tune of the “Jai Ho” song. This experience will be distinctly felt by passengers seated inside the vehicle. To inform drivers about the musical strip while vehicles are in the underground tunnel, the administration has already installed information boards about the musical strip at intervals of 500 meters, 100 meters, and 60 meters.
Grooves or strips have been created on the road at specific distances and measurements. When vehicles pass over those strips at a particular speed, musical sounds are produced due to wheel friction. This is called a ‘musical road’ or ‘melody road.’
India’s First Experiment
This type of melody road became popular in Japan in 2007. Japanese engineer Shizuo Shinoda discovered this sound effect while working on roads with the help of a bulldozer. Subsequently, the ‘melody road’ concept was developed from this experiment.
So far, such experiments have been conducted in Hungary, Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This is the first experiment in India.