Lights, camera, action, politicians take centrestage!

Chennai: The stage is all set. Ablaze with lights, velvet drapes, festive bunches of flowers and party flags, Island Grounds is seething with activity. It was the day AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa launched her campaign for the upcoming election. Hundreds of people thronged the arena.And it's not just cops who are behind controlling and managing them, Chennai has many event managers, who work days in advance to organise such an extravaganza.

For people like Mohan Kumar Reddy sleep is only a distant dream during the run up to the elections. "I haven't slept or eaten in the last 36 hours. I've only changed and showered before the event," says Reddy, a government contractor, who had worked with his team to construct the mammoth edifice of flowers and drapes that would give a red carpet welcome to dignitaries. "And the madness has just begun. I now have to pack up and head to Virudachalam for the next meeting," he added.

Though party events are usually organised with one event management team at the helm, since the scope of work is so broad and heavy the lead team usually hires dozens of sub-contractors for a large crowd. "I've supplied 100 sound boxes for this event. And I'm just one of 20 other contractors, who supplied sound equipment," says R Umapathy, who has been supplying for political events for more than 15 years. "I never make much out of political events - I'll be lucky if I breakeven. I have to supply to big hotel chains in the city if I want to recover my losses - political leaders are always reluctant to pay their bills,"

To ensure seamless power supply during the programme, the ground is dotted with diesel-run power generators from multiple service providers. "It would on average cost Rs 60,000 for holding a event for 2,000 people. For an event, where more than above 20,000 people assemble, the electrical wiring alone would easily run into more than Rs 4 to Rs 5 lakh," says R Tamilselvan of Matha Electricals. "I know many contractors face the problem of not recovering their money when catering to political parties. So I never supply even a single speaker without getting the full advance," he added.

While party cadres swelter it out under the blazing arch of the high-voltage power lamps, the leaders alone get to orate in air-conditioned comfort. Coolers could be seen at vantage points covering every square metre of red carpet on the stage. "We've positioned the curtains and the greenery and flowers so that ugly wires can't be seen poking anywhere. Speakers could also trip if there are any unseemly projections on stage, so we've to ensure the stage carpets are without wrinkles," a subcontractor said.

Chairs, lighting, water packets - each facility provided has its own team running the show with sub-contractors hired. For the stage alone, which was to host MLAs and executive members, including the general secretary of the party, special chairs with padded cushions and satin linings are ordered in - a touch apart from the plastic chairs ordered for commoners. "In an event this size its all about making everyone happy. Biriyani packets for some, coolers for others," says N Venkateswara.