KOCHI: Having a stage, some lights, and enough people interested in attending does not make an event. The tragedy that unfolded on the campus of Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) on Saturday yet again highlighted this.
Cheers of joy and camaraderie were quickly snuffed by cries of terror and anguish as four lives were lost and scores critically injured in a stampede on the steps leading to the amphitheatre, where a music concert was set to take place.
Not long ago, a bomb blast at a prayer meet in Kochi had jolted India. Experts slammed inefficient security and crowd screening arrangements. Now, in the wake of the Cusat incident, authorities are, as is often the case, engaged in ceaseless chatter, trying to shift the blame elsewhere. While Cusat officials are accusing the police of cold-shouldering the university and its affairs, the latter is flaying the institution for not following due process.
There are also dicussions about the unscientific layout of the amphitheatre, the need for a campus wall so as to prevent outsiders from intruding into the university and its activities, the snail pace of infrastructure development at Cusat, and the neglect of those who organised the event. While there is some merit to all this chatter, TNIE stays far clear to bring you a perspective on what it is like to hold an event, especially in Kerala, and how it could be done well.
Firstly, an event is more than the sum of its parts. “It requires comprehensive planning and coordination. In addition, there should be a task force ready to mitigate untoward incidents. It should ideally include security personnel, medical team, ground staff and others,” says Maalavika Manoj aka Mali, a singer-songwriter, who has performed at venues across the country.
“Even when everything is done right, an event can still go terribly wrong. A case in point: the A R Rahman concert that took place in Chennai on September 10. People had reported instances of overcrowding, stampede, and molestation at the venue.” The overcrowding at the event had led to panic attacks and anxiety among attendees.
“If such mishaps can mar a concert of a maestro musician like A R Rahman, what success can students, who don’t know the intricacies of event management or crowd control, hope to achieve by organising an event by themselves?” wonders Maalvika. The famed Cochin Carnival had witnessed a stampede-like situation last year. The chaos and confusion that engulfed the festival site saw many people, including children, requiring medical attention.
In Thiruvananthapuram, the corporation recently took note of unruly crowds at Manaveeyam Veedhi and promised to implement an SOP. “What we need are strict protocols,” asserts Maalavika. Protocols are, no doubt, essential. But, if there is no one to enforce them, then rules on paper don’t amount to much. A Cusat faculty tells TNIE that teachers are no longer welcome at student-run events.
However, the idea that teachers are able to “take care” of campus events, which now runs into lakhs of rupees and draws a crowd of thousands, is a misspent one, too. Did Cusat have an expert body within its organisational structure to enforce protocols these many years? Considering the fact that the campus has been a venue for a slew of mega-events, the question is worth pondering over.
Saturday’s event was unlike any other that the university had hosted recently. Organised by Cusat’s School of Engineering, ‘Dhishna’ was a much-loved annual Tech Fest, the first big one after a three-year gap due to the pandemic. “Students were pumped up,” says a student, requesting anonymity. “The fact that we had popular playback singer Nikhita Gandhi performing added to the buzz. The organisers were unprepared. They probably did not anticipate such a big crowd.”
According to Kishan John, the manager of the indie band When Chai Met Toast, the checks and balances in place to ensure that events go without incidents have mostly been reduced to mere paperwork.“Ideally, there should be periodic inspections of venues. Fire safety, exit routes, etc, have to be inspected and approved before clearance is given to hold events,” he says. “The industry has been discussing this for ages, but the matter is only brought to everyone’s attention when grave accidents occur.”
Atul Jacob, an event management expert, seconds the view. According to him, the only paper involved in holding an event is the ‘no objection certificate’. “All it seeks to ensure is that events are wrapped up in the stipulated time. There is no mention of fire safety, exit routes, the venue size, etc. Saturday’s tragedy could have been prevented if organisers had blocked a portion of the public road which cuts through the campus,” says Atul, who lives close to the Cusat campus. “An experienced event professional would have noticed the need for that right away.”
Though words like DJ, party, etc, get the attention of officials sometimes, artists complain that the involvement of police in those cases is more often than not an obstruction, rather than a measure to ensure safety protocols are followed. “There is more than adequate scrutiny for such events, which often get labelled the tag of being ‘anti-social’, not for your regular music concerts,” says an artist, who wishes to remain anonymous.
He adds that a part of the onus lies on the artist, too. “We can’t just collect the money, perform and not be accountable for the misfortunes that befall our fans. That means also bearing the loss of having a show cancelled due to safety or technical concerns,” he says. “We should not take it as a personal insult. It is better to have a show cancelled due to technical reasons than because of untoward incidents.”
Abroad, even for big-ticket events, approvals are given only after technical and safety checks are done. Recently, for instance, Taylor Swift had postponed her concert in Rio amid exceedingly high temperatures and concerns over safety.
Attendees should also respect the rules of a venue and have basic courtesy for others, stresses Thomas Sebastian (DJ Tominen). “There is a misconception among the youth in Kerala today that no event is out of bounds to them. They cut across barricades and enter venues with a sense of entitlement. This often leads to undesirable situations,” he says.
Indeed. With news like Saturday’s tragedy and instances of misbehaviour towards women becoming more frequent at concerts, many, especially women, are disinclined to attend mass programmes now.
“This is detrimental to the entire industry. After all, concerts are the bread and butter of any artist,” says Lincoln Samuel, a singer-songwriter.
What happened at Cusat was a freak accident, says Savio Joseph Mendez (DJ Savio), who had performed at the venue before, which then accommodated “more people than the numbers reported for Saturday’s event”. He believes it was the rain and the sudden jostle to enter the venue that triggered the stampede. Jonathan de Rozario (DJ Jona), who has arranged many events here in the past, agrees, but points to the stairs that begin right at the gate, leading down to the amphitheatre in a nearly 6m decline and with no railings as support, as the prime reason for the tragedy.
Many versions are doing the rounds. There are conspiracy theories and debates as well. However, what all can agree on is that a ban is likely not the answer to prevent such incidents from happening. This comes over rumours that the government is mulling introducing a blanket ban that makes it harder for music concerts to be held on college campuses.
“College events are important for artists as fan-building exercises. For students, almost all of whom are likely underage to attend bars and pubs for music concerts, college is the only place where they get to enjoy art in action. A ban is never a good idea,” says Maalavika.