Chaos reigned on the opening day of the four-day Mood Indigo, the celebrated annual festival of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
Crowd management virtually failed on Monday when several thousands gathered at the IIT-B campus at Powai to catch a glimpse of the rock concerts, which had big names like Parikrama and international band Porcupine Tree.
While it turned out to be a feast for the 4,000-odd who attended the concert, there were murmurs from those stranded outside that they were left out in spite of having valid tickets.
Gate-crashers also left many in the crowd, who had paid to enter, fuming. They felt that they need not have paid good money after all.
In fact, this was the first time in the history of Mood Indigo that an entry fee (they called it ‘registration fee’) was being imposed by the organisers.
The much-awaited event, in spite of the tickets being priced at Rs1,000 (for non-IITians) and Rs650 (for IIT students and alumni), was sold out. Thousands arrived much before time, loitered around the IIT campus, one of the much sought-after green lungs of the city, before heading towards the concert venue.
First, there was a thorough security check. It was only when the fans went closer to the amphitheatre that they realised it would be one long night, though of the kind they were hoping for.
The organisers justified their move, saying that they were ensuring that only genuine people entered the venue by putting a cost to the event. “Though it can take a crowd of at least 10,000, we issued only 4,000 passes,” said an event coordinator at Mood Indigo’s music competition event Livewire.
“By pricing the tickets exorbitantly, the organisers have definitely curbed the crowd by thousands,” said a dejected Porcupine Tree fan who had sit out.
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