With the visit of the religious leader, Morari Bapu, the organisers changed the festival to a more corporate style format including the erection of an enclosed Arena TFT structure 95 metres long, 50 metres wide and 16 metres in height to the apex, accommodating 8000 people.
In order to power the whole site, two pairs of generators were used, one of which was a one megawatt set, which provided all the power to the catering facilities, lighting, sound and the all important air conditioning, given the recent temperatures.
To illuminate the Arena TFT structure and stage both decoratively and safely, over 250KW of lighting was used.
A high specification of sound was required, so this year the Martin Audio Line array speaker system was used, proving a valuable tool for the sound operator who was flown in from India, especially for this event.
The Trust engaged its own film crew to capture this nine-day event with live images beamed to over seven million people across the world. Hawthorn relayed these images to the audience at the festival via two 20ft wide screens.
"The Jalaram Trust is grateful to Hawthorn for their assistance in making this year's Festival special, particularly their fast response in installing the air conditioning within five hours of being requested," said Hasu Manek, "They did a great job."
(Chris Henry)
