As you may have guessed, every outing or event in Mumbai is a memorable one and our experience last week at the Brian Adams concert was no exception. Not only was it comforting to have a little piece of Canadiana brought to me amidst the chaos and confusion of Bombay but also it was a really interesting way to compare and contrast the differences between a concert in Canada and one on this side of the world. Strangely, there was very little build up in the weeks leading up to the event and I only discovered he was going to be performing exactly 1 week before the event. I was in the car on the way to gym one morning and just caught a glimpse of Bryan Adam’s face on the side of a bus. I looked twice as I was startled to see something Canadian but as the bus drove past I didn’t have a chance to read what the advertisement said. I quickly assumed it was for a new CD being released and didn’t think much more about it. Later that day I received the regular weekly update from my daughter’s school which notified the parents that Brian Adam’s was going to be playing in Mumbai this coming Saturday and that VVIP tickets (I have no idea what the extra ‘V’ is for) would be available through our neighbouring school, Save the Children India, in support of their programs. The ticket prices were a little steep but it was for a good cause and the thought of purchasing the cheaper tickets and being crammed in with thousands of other people in an Indian make shift stadium did not appeal to me. I had visions of stampedes, fires or worse yet, bombings and I did not want to squished/squashed in anywhere. So I purchased our tickets, arranged the babysitter and looked forward to the concert.
On the day of, we made our way down to the field, which literally was within walking distance of the school and behind the National Stock exchange. This is always the most interesting thing about events in Mumbai. The venues are always just empty fields somewhere unremarkable and hundreds of local workers just erect tents or stages to accommodate whoever is performing. Anyhow, our driver Javed, dropped us off at the wrong gate so we were forced to walk around the outside of the field to reach our section. As we walked along the rubbled sidewalk we were shaking our head in a combination of amusement, horror and acceptance at the rickety corrugated metal fence which surrounded the area. It was rusty old pieces of tin, stabilized by rotting pieces of bamboo and large pieces of rubble and should a gust of wind decide to blow through, it would by no means hold back the forces of Mother nature. We continued to walk past three cows lying unfazed in the middle of the road, a few local dogs and a goat. I love the Indian goats and at some point in the future I will discuss my fascination with their unique culture. We finally made it to our VVIP entrance only to have it prefaced by a weathered looking green carpet as a sad replacement for a red one laid loosely across a very bumpy stretch of dirt. Now this VVIP section had been advertised as the place ‘to be’ along side the who’s who of Bollywood. So as we walked along this green carpet we disappointed many an Indian paparazzi who realized that we weren’t anything special. Sad to say but two nameless white people just didn’t cut it. We made our way up to the raised platform where there was a section of chairs in a row and then a slightly lower area with some wobbly bar tables. Along the side and back of the area was a sparce buffet of some sorry little finger sandwiches, nachos with some very runny cheese sauce and some breaded fish nuggets. Not really a VVIP spread but we weren’t really all that surprised. What was sad however was the lack of any tasty alcoholic beverages since they are not allowed at these sorts of events so water it was.
What was very interesting to observe was the sort of people who were sitting in the seats behind us. It was such an eclectic group of people including the expected 20-30 year olds but dotted by older couples including women wearing their best saris, 5 year olds running around playing games and groups of local teens dressed to imitate their favourite bollywood stars all engrossed in their Iphones. I am sad to say that I did not recognize any of the Bollywood stars even though they were apparently there. We stood right at the front of our raised section leaning against our unstable glass bar table protecting our territory from pushy teens trying to take our prime spot. In India, you quickly learn to protect your space, as the locals will quickly bud in wherever they want to. The front of the platform was surrounded by a make shift railing made of 2 by 4’s nailed in place and covered with black frayed fabric. As the area began to fill up and people began leaning against this railing, the security personnel soon realized that this could very quickly fall over taking all of the concert goers with it. Suddenly an army of workman with hammers and nails began trying to reinforce the railing to prevent a collapse and continued to do so throughout half of the night. The other half of the night saw the police with long wooden poles pushing individuals back who dared to lean on the railing. Again this was not alarming because we have come to expect the unexpected and more importantly know that many things in India are done in a ‘uniquely Indian way.’Back to the main event- Brian Adams was incredible and I was truly impressed by how accessible he was to the crowd and so very personable and likable. All of the local Indians were singing along to his songs, chanting his name and thoroughly enjoying themselves which made the atmosphere electric. However this is not what struck me the most. The stadium itself had been divided into three sections. The VIP sections were on either side, then there was the Gold ticket section which was in the front of the stage and then behind them was the Silver section separated by a wooden fence. Now as you would think, the Silver section should be directly behind the Gold section so that the stadium was full. This was sadly not the case. The gold section people were all standing close to the stage and filled not quite half of the allotted area. There was an empty space behind them of at least 150 metres before the wooden fence that separated them from the silver section who were in turn all squished into a smaller area. In my mind, if you are hosting an event like this in an open field, you know approximately how many tickets you have sold and you plan the space accordingly allowing the best viewing for all concertgoers. This was not the case and to me, it clearly demonstrated the strength of the ever-present caste system which still exists in India. It was glaringly obvious who had spent 4000 rupees on a ticket and who had only spent 2000 rupees and this is the one pill I find very hard to swallow. Although some efforts have been made to put support in place for those less fortunate, it is always about who has the most money and who can flaunt it the most. Now I am not so naïve as to believe that this does not exist in the Western culture. I am the first to carry my Prada bag and wear my Versace sunglasses, however I do believe we try to tone it down a bit with facades of equal rights and opportunities. I also know that the type of wide spread poverty which exists here in India does not exist in Canada. Now I want to say I am most bothered by how blatant the divide is between the haves and have nots nurtured by corruption and perpetuated by arrogance but… I cannot. I think what truly scores my flesh is that the vulgarity of truth here in India is a just a reflection of what we try to hide through conservatism and democracy back home. I haven’t changed my ways or given up my wants to become an agent of change to help the less fortunate. If nothing else, I have become more covert with my life to preserve what is comfortable and familiar.
India is just an honest mirror of what humanity truly is and begs us to confront our own beliefs, needs and desires.
