Democracy
Viraf Pocha
Democracy is, of the people, by the people, or the people of India
At the last PALM expo, I congratulated Mr Chopra on the sheer scale of the exhibition. He generously
replied 'Don't con-gratulate me. Congratulate India'
It made me think. I accepted that I am part of the fading aristocracy. We are being run over by this
incredible rush of democracy.
Its moving so fast that if it hasn't already swallowed you - It will.
Fortunately, I don't have to fear losing my head in this revolution. All I must do is - join it.
You are probably wondering - What has Democracy got to do with Stage Lighting & Entertainment
Electronics. Let me explain.
Time was when live shows that needed sophisticated electronic equipment were the preserve of the
privileged. For leading theatres, prestigious concerts, international conferences. You did have
nautanki's, Ganpati mandaps, Durga pooja pandals that were intricately decorated but light and sound
played a very basic role.
For decades, most stages in India were lit by cut open oil tins and big bulbs. This went on for
decades - until it changed abruptly.
What triggered this shift? My guess. Wedding planner meets event manager meets equipment provider
and we all took off into a brilliant future.
Like Indian Democracy - It was messy. There was acrimony. On the ground nothing seemed to work. But
in the big pic-ture - everything boomed.
International equipment manufacturers started noticing us. Initially a ragged guy appeared in their
well-appointed offic-es looking for 'deals'. (Saying that with a huge smile.)
All the big brands looked at us with wonder. They had never done business in their existing markets
the way they were asked to do in India. Supply lines were huge. Service centres non-existent. A huge
amount of equipment was hand car-ried into the country as personal luggage.
I know for a fact that the only reason why a number of these well-established companies with
entrenched systems were willing to make allowances for us was our sheer enthusiasm and hunger to
stage the kind of shows we were fortunate enough to watch around the world.
Initially a lot of established brands diverted us to their dealers in Singapore or Hong Kong.
Thinking they could club us into the Asia Pacific market. But we were having none of it. We wanted
to deal with head office in England or Europe or in the US.
They responded because they saw that their Far East or Middle East offices could not cope with our
demands / require-ments.
Shows back in India started achieving scale. We were soon on football fields and sometimes into
cricket stadiums.
I would say that this was still a time for the privileged aristocrats. The number of shows had
multiplied considerably. But still a miniscule number for our billion population.
Equipment was expensive and so out of reach of all but the producers with the biggest budgets and
richest sponsors.
Great equipment had crept into wedding mandaps, pooja pandals and amateur stage shows. But still on
a small scale.
The came the flood. To my mind for TWO main reasons. China and LED walls. Some see that as
interchangeable. They may be right. But remember the technology originated in Europe.
So for a short while we had lights and sound from China but projectors and LED walls still made in
Europe.
Our desis fell in love with LED walls. Coupled with loud amplification and flying speakers.
Bright colours and loud sound. The hallmark of every festival in India. Truly a match made in
heaven.
Suddenly the guy at the back of the room / hall / stadium was hearing and seeing exactly what the
front row VIP's were experiencing. Some say it was better at the back. Front row Invitees could not
feel the punch and power of a PA, the way the guys towards the middle were experiencing. You need to
be some distance away from a large LED to get the complete detail without pixilating.
To my mind this was when the last bastions of aristocracy fell. Equipment was available across the
length and breath of the country.
Sure, the purist with exact specifications could source the top end in a very few companies, usually
clustered around the four large metro cities.
But LED screens, decent PA systems, moving lights were available in most towns across India.
Gleefully the mandaps, pandals and social platforms rushed to install equipment into their stages
and performances.
Political rallies ballooned in scale. Religious gatherings started attracting lakhs of devotees.
Equipment from the 'devil worshiping' rock concerts was shipped to be installed in Ashrams the next
day.
So it continues.
This blossoming excites me. The west had a similar boom in the 1980's. When the touring music
business attracted crowds larger than their natural habitats of the civic hall or dance hall could
accommodate. First into Indoor arenas and then into stadiums. Sports management companies looked on
as fans were willing to pay up to 10 times for a ticket to a rock concert as they were to a football
game.
In the West, indoor arenas re modelled and rebuilt to accommodate this technology. To my mind
basketball venues were amongst the first to adopt great PA's and video into their arenas. Seeing
their success other sports quickly followed. Gigan-tic screens stated being seen across football
stadiums.
That model was replicated in India. LED screens take up almost 20 % of visibility in most stadiums
today. Scoreboards, boundary lines, live action replay screens cover every corner of the circular
field.
Wonder how many cricket fans sat in a stadium in Indore and demanded an LED screen installed at
his/her wedding the next day.
Meanwhile, his rich relative in India covered the edges of an indoor stadium with a 12 feet high
wall. 300 running feet. How's that for an immersive wedding experience? And the wedding planner sold
the idea of a basketball type box led suspended over the mandap so everybody at the back of the
arena had a ring side view of the saat pheras taking place 150 feet away.
Corporate clients and marketing professionals were not going to miss out on this action to blast
their product to their users.
Bigger, brighter, louder seems to be the standard.
So now what next. My sincere hope is content. It has been my personal experience that today
Technology takes front and centre. That's great. But Please remember - in the end we are in the
story telling business.
Musicians, politicians, marketing professionals, event professionals, even wedding planners - Please
don't loose sight of the idea that in the end, we are in the story-telling business. Use these tools
to tell a story. The technology gives you an opportunity to reach very large audiences. But you must
tug an emotion to get a response. Else you risk losing the audience's attention.
Take away LED screens and the cheerleaders, but the IPL fan will still sit at the edge of his seat
praying for his team to win. Our offerings can only enhance his experience.
I hope all of us can extend that idea into all our installations.
Remember, earlier on, we were talking about being 'messy'. Sadly, the larger we are getting the
messier we are becom-ing. Can I dare extend that to being lazy?
Sure, Technology allows us to tweak our offerings very quickly. Too many people rely on that
totally. I'd like to see every-body use that as a crutch only in an emergency.
I fear that we could be huge losers if our content does not grip our audiences. This new technology
may be great but its very expensive to buy and needs expensive maintenance.
All of us recognise that, in general, Indian equipment is very badly maintained. I hope some of you
out there use that as a business opportunity to set up servicing businesses. Training people
formally to make the equipment perform better over longer time frames.
If we tolerate bad equipment, then it will be a long downslide. People will pay for what they get.
Choppy equipment will inevitably lead to compromised experiences and that will obviously lead to
tighter budgets.
Let me end with another characteristic of democracy.
We get the politicians / equipment experience we deserve.
Choose wisely, make the best use of the equipment we install and make sure it runs as per our wishes
to enjoy a great experience.
That is true democracy at work for all of society to benefit.