India being one of the oldest civilisations in the world is a land of vast cultures. Dating back to nearly 5000 years ago, several customs and traditions have come together and evolved over time to contribute to India’s rich culture and heritage. Many Indians firmly believe that the Bhagavad Gita and other sacred scriptures hold the answers to life’s challenges. While the people of the country are undoubtedly take pride in their cultural selves and are constantly taking forward their legacies, making this cultural heritage attractive to the youth has become seemingly difficult.
The traditional methods of teaching history, such as storytelling and memorization, are considered unattractive and boring, leading to disinterest among the youth, who already have shorter attention spans due to the trend of reels. However, imagine a hologram of Shri Krishna narrating the Bhagavad Gita to viewers in person, Valmiki in his virtual avatar teaching the youth about the Ramayana, or the youth getting a selfie with holograms of former prime ministers of the nation. This would certainly make history and heritage attractive, and that is what Saurav Bhaik, founder and CEO, Tagbin aims to do. In an interview with Tech Achieve Media, Saurav Bhaik spoke about how Tagbin aims to revolutionise the cultural heritage space with the infusion of modern technologies like augmented reality, artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
[Excerpts of the conversation with Saurav Bhaik]
TAM: What inspired you to create Tagbin?
Saurav Bhaik: This started with my final year thesis, where I was working on emerging technologies and their roles in various applications. My research focused on how we perceive the world through computers and gadgets. The two technologies I worked extensively with were augmented reality and virtual reality. At that time, these technologies were in their infancy. If you remember, in 2013, there weren’t many virtual reality headsets available. I was using Google Cardboard, where you inserted a phone to experience a basic form of virtual reality. I was fascinated because any technology goes through a cycle: early adoption, innovation, problem-solving, and then broader societal adoption.
Over the last 10 years, I’ve been amazed by the advancements. For example, devices like the Apple Vision Pro are now lightweight and enable users to interact with their environment seamlessly. Imagine looking at someone and instantly accessing detailed information about them. My interest was primarily in how these emerging technologies could solve larger problems. At the time, there were few business use cases because the technologies weren’t mature, but we identified potential in areas like museums and business training.
This led to the creation of Tagbin, with the idea of pioneering the use of these technologies for various applications. Our beginnings were humble, as there wasn’t much interest in India. People wanted to see proven examples, which were scarce in the Indian context. So, we focused on the Middle Eastern market, where we saw significant adoption of our AR, VR, and hologram solutions in museums, marketing, and training.
In the early years, we worked with brands and museums to create small solutions. For instance, we developed a hologram, a cricket game, and a virtual reality football game. By 2017, new devices like Oculus with better resolutions and augmented reality filters from Snapchat became popular. This sparked government interest in using these technologies to showcase culture. Now, we are in a great position. With everyone talking about AI, AR, and VR, we’ve been working with these technologies for almost a decade.
TAM: You’ve worked on the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya, Subhash Chandra Bose, and Digital Experience Centre at G-20: What were the key elements and technological innovations used in these platforms?
Saurav Bhaik: One of our biggest projects was the Prime Minister’s Museum, where we were not only executors but also planners. We aimed to amaze and wow visitors with experiences they had never seen before, while ensuring there was a clear purpose behind each application. At the museum, we had the authority to conceptualize these experiences, which gave us more flexibility. Previously, our projects were often limited to specific applications like virtual reality for training or holograms for particular purposes, which sometimes felt mismatched to the technology.
We were very focused on using these technologies appropriately and not just as novelties. For example, a concept can be presented on a screen, in a hologram, in augmented reality, or in virtual reality. Choosing the right technology for the right audience and purpose is crucial. If we don’t get this right, the experience falls flat. The second critical aspect is execution, as these technologies are meant to create an alternate reality or illusion.
A prime example is when the government wanted a hologram statue of Netaji for Prakram Devas. They originally wanted a real statue, but it was impossible to create one in just 11 days. Instead, we proposed a holographic image of the desired size. Holograms create an illusion of something floating in the air, achieved with mesh screens and holographic screens invisible to the human eye.
The challenge was to install this in a heritage canopy without using any supports from the walls, ceiling, or pillars. We designed a self-standing structure, hiding projectors and other equipment to make the hologram appear as if it were floating. This had to be bright enough for people to see clearly. When the Prime Minister unveiled it, there was significant media coverage, and people started showing interest in holograms.
Currently, we are transitioning from a Web 2.0 world, where interactions happen on screens, to a Web 3.0 world, where space itself becomes the internet. Companies like Facebook rebranding to Meta signify this shift. In the future, space will be our screen, transforming how we interact with technology daily.
Many people haven’t experienced good VR or AR in public because they require controlled environments. Holograms need a complete setup, and VR needs proper installation. I look forward to a time when these technologies become as user-friendly as an iPhone or a computer, enabling more widespread applications.
TAM: In what ways do you think AI and VR can aid in the preservation and dissemination of cultural heritage, especially in rural and local museums?
Saurav Bhaik: Imagine India, with its 5000-year-old culture and history, has so much to tell. However, until 2014, museums in India weren’t a popular concept. People preferred taking their children to malls instead of museums. This was due to several reasons, such as the cultural development of countries like America, where museums are a longstanding tradition, and people often have museum memberships. Europe followed suit, and more recently, China has transformed its culture into an economy in impressive ways. The Middle East has also embraced this trend.
In India, the concept of taking pride in our heritage and roots is relatively new. The majority of the Indian population is young, and they are akin to short, crisp, and engaging content. The challenge is making ancient artifacts interesting to the youth. This is where technology plays a crucial role. Instead of merely showing pictures of ancient sites like Nalanda University, we can provide a VR headset and let them take a virtual tour. This makes the experience more tangible and relatable for them.
Youth have short attention spans and want to be part of the experience rather than passive spectators. Traditional museums, with exhibits that can’t be touched or interacted with, fail to engage them. At the Prime Minister’s Museum, we’ve created an interactive environment. Visitors can take selfies with holograms of prime ministers, contribute to a vision of 2047, and virtually walk with the Prime Minister outside Parliament. There are also games and interactive content. By making visitors feel important and creating content centered around their participation, we have successfully captured their attention and conveyed our narrative more effectively.
TAM: Can you explain how you personalise experiences for visitors with the aid of AI?
Saurav Bhaik: Prime Minister’s Museum has seven and a half hours of content in the form of videos, shows, interactive graphics, and more. However, most visitors don’t have the time to experience everything in one visit. It would take two to three days to fully appreciate all the content.
Most museum visitors are what I call “express visitors.” They try to cover as much ground as possible in a short time, often just two hours, without fully engaging with the exhibits. To address this, we developed an audio guide application. This app customizes the visitor’s route based on their interests, such as asking who their favorite prime ministers are. AI also helps make exhibits more visitor-friendly.
Creating a museum is like making a movie: we create content, installations, and interactive experiences for the visitors. We conduct workshops to understand what customers will enjoy, but Indian visitors often surprise us with their unique preferences. Using audio guides, we can analyze the heat map of visitor interests, identifying popular exhibits and areas where people spend the most time. This data helps us continuously improve the museum experience.
One fascinating AI application we’ve developed is “Ask Valmiki” for a museum in Ayodhya, along with “Ask Gita.” These features present an avatar of Shri Krishna, who can answer questions based on the Bhagavad Gita. For example, if you ask why your hard work isn’t rewarded, the avatar will refer to a verse emphasizing the importance of doing your duty without focusing on the results. This large language model (LLM) has been trained on authentic translations of the Bhagavad Gita.
Visitors can interact with the AI to explore the Ramayana or Mahabharata in a new way. The system uses speech-to-text technology to understand the context of questions, searches the relevant literature, and provides accurate answers. We’ve developed this with the Indian Knowledge System, part of the Ministry of Education, along with a team of tech experts.
We’re also considering bringing this technology to mobile platforms. Imagine an AI avatar of a historical figure, like Mahatma Gandhi, interacting with you based on collected works and writings. This isn’t like generic AI because it’s trained on specific, limited datasets, ensuring accuracy. Our goal is to enhance the customer journey by understanding their preferences and creating engaging experiences. By combining rich cultural heritage with modern technologies like AR and VR, we’re making history appealing to the youth.
TAM: What are some of the biggest challenges you face when integrating new technologies into historical sites, and how do you overcome them?
Saurav Bhaik: We have worked in Saudi Arabia, Japan, and the USA. In India, the field is so new that those who want to experiment with these technologies often don’t know where to start. When using these technologies, it’s crucial to first understand why we are creating them and what kind of experience we want to provide. For instance, with the “Ask Valmiki” project, we wanted people to interact with Valmiki one-on-one. This led us to design a question-and-answer format with an avatar of Valmiki, creating a natural and immersive experience. The goal is to create an illusion of reality, making the experience feel natural and immersive.
One major challenge in creating a museum is deciding on the space. Museums need to be large and voluminous to provide a proper experience. Simply converting any building into a museum doesn’t work. The purpose behind using technology must be well thought out. Often, people suggest using VR or AI without a clear reason. The technology should come later, after defining the experience we want to create.
Another challenge is that some heritage spaces are not suitable for digital museums. Integrating modern technology into a heritage space can look out of place. It must be done in a way that blends well with the surroundings. Additionally, the gadgets used to create illusions must be hidden. For example, in the Prime Minister’s Museum, the levitating emblem uses hidden magnets to create the illusion. Our gadgets should always be concealed, like a magician’s tricks.
In the US, I’ve learned that they spend 50% of their time deciding on the what, why, and how of a project before starting. If the initial concept is flawed, it’s better to say no. In India, there has been a sudden rise in immersive experiences and digital museums, but some are created without a clear purpose, just for the sake of being digital. The key is to educate people about the right steps from the beginning to ensure these experiences are world-class.
TAM: What are Tagbin’s future plans for expanding its technology offerings?
Saurav Bhaik: Museums are one of our main revenue streams. However, we have a sizable tech team dedicated to developing AI solutions for various industries. Recently, we completed a project for NITI Aayog, focusing on their planning center. Our task was to collect data from across all ministries and develop a smart model capable of providing valuable insights into policies and outcomes. This model serves as a strategy room for our top policymakers, ensuring that decisions are well-informed and effective.
One of the key issues we addressed was the duplication of efforts among ministries. Furthermore, we discovered interesting trends by correlating different datasets. For example, we found a positive correlation between the Har Gar Jal Mission and the increase in girl-child education rates. This insight prompted further exploration into the impact of direct water supply on girls’ education, highlighting the potential for data-driven policy decisions.
This approach to data analysis is not limited to government organizations. Many corporates are also adopting similar boardroom solutions, where data-driven insights inform strategic decision-making. Companies have long recognized the value of data-driven research, and now organizations across various sectors are following suit. In summary, leveraging data analytics for informed decision-making is becoming increasingly essential for organizations and policy think tanks alike.
