Drone light show in Pune for Modi Birthday by IIT-Delhi startup
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 75th birthday was celebrated in Pune, a 1,000-drones light show painted the night sky with choreographed precision. BotLab Dynamics, the IIT Delhi incubated startup leading India’s aerial entertainment scene, delivered a performance that doubled as a demonstration of domestic swarm technology and a tangible manifest of Make in India ambitions.
The event faced weather-related postponements, but when the drones finally took to the sky, Punekars witnessed a spectacle that fused art, engineering, and national pride. The formations included a tribute to Modi with his mother and an array of culturally resonant silhouettes. This was not mere spectacle; it underscored a shift toward homegrown drone ecosystems that span the entertainment, security, and industrial fronts.
Recent Trends
- Growing demand for domestic drone ecosystems
- Regulatory clarity increasing for drone shows
- Swarm technology expanding into entertainment and defense
From IIT Delhi to the skies of Pune
BotLab Dynamics began as an IIT Delhi incubation project around 2016 and has evolved into a global player with roughly 250 team members. The founders, including Tanmay Bunkar, Anuj Barnwal, and Dr. Sarita Ahlawat, built a company that has repeatedly pushed the envelope in drone choreography and sky-scale displays. As Neha Verma, the company’s communications lead, notes, the operation is a careful orchestration of hardware, software, and choreography, with flight operations typically at around five kilometers above ground, enabling viewers to see formations from distant vantage points. The team also navigates permissions from multiple government agencies and local authorities, underscoring that large-scale drone shows sit at the intersection of entertainment and regulation.
The technology behind the spectacle
Drone light shows rely on swarm technology where thousands of units coordinate through software that translates graphics into flight commands. The system can reproduce complex images in the sky, from corporate logos to cultural motifs, including India’s first sky QR code, a nod to the blend of creativity and engineering.
Make in India and domestic production
BotLab emphasizes a fully domestic drone ecosystem: flight controllers, GPS modules, electronic speed controllers and other critical components are engineered within India. This approach aligns with Make in India goals, seeking to reduce dependence on foreign supply chains and to create skilled employment in the technology sector. For readers, this is a practical signal: the domestic capability is not just possible, it’s scalable and globally competitive.
Industry and policy implications
The Pune show is more than a show; it’s a case study in how entertainment, defense-readiness, and policy interact. BotLab’s Vayudh vertical focuses on nano drones and swarming for defense and security applications, showing how entertainment labors often seed dual-use technology capable of benefiting national security and civilian applications alike. In a reader-facing angle: for defense planners, the message was unmistakable: India can build and deploy complex swarm systems at scale without external bottlenecks.
Beyond spectacle, the event underscores India’s aspirational role in the global drone ecosystem. The company already holds multiple Guinness World Records in the drone light show category, including a 5,500-drone display at the Amaravati Drone Summit in October 2024, underscoring both capability and ambition. Such milestones boost confidence among corporate partners, event organizers, and potential international buyers, while signaling to regulators and insurers that the risk envelope can be managed with robust operational protocols.
Looking ahead, the drone industry is likely to see increasing demand for domestically produced components and more stringent, yet clearer, regulatory frameworks. As global partners seek alliances, India’s homegrown navigation systems, flight controllers, and safety standards could become exportable competencies. The trajectory is not limited to entertainment; it spans logistics, inspection, disaster response, and defense. BotLab’s broader vision with Vayudh hints at a future where Indian companies supply both the show and the shield。
Conclusion
In Pune, the sky served as a canvas for a national narrative: a homegrown AI-enabled drone ecosystem, built around the Make in India philosophy, can deliver world-class spectacle while laying a foundation for broader applications. The 1,000-drone performance demonstrated not only artistry but a practical blueprint for scale, reliability, and regulatory compliance. For industry stakeholders, the episode signals a growing appetite for domestic production, advanced swarm technology, and the dual-use potential of drone platforms. As the market matures, collaborations between startups, government agencies, and global partners are likely to accelerate the adoption of drone-based solutions across civil and security domains. The message is clear: India is ready to lead in the drone era.
