#KKTragedy: Kolkata's live show standards don't even match up to regular Indian standards, says Kinjal Bhattacharya

The KK tragedy in Kolkata has opened the Pandora's box wherein questions regarding the safety and security of artistes in live performances are raised.

Kinjal Bhattacharya

, event manager who handles top artistes from India and abroad for

live shows

, was close to KK and his management and had worked with him on several occasions. Speaking to us, Kinjal shares, "There are several points of security, medical help and emergency infrastructure for a live show in India. The rest of India, including Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, also follow standards which are closer to international SOPs at times for big shows. But unfortunately, Kolkata's standards don't even match up to regular Indian standards."
Kinjal thinks there is a lot of upgradation required of the venues in Kolkata. "There are SOPs, which are backdated, and followed by the venue managements, mostly government venues. They hand these down to the event managers. Then there are conditions mentioned by the artistes to the event managers, which are negotiated based on the funds available from the end client. Event managers for college fests have a limited role to play in negotiating with the artiste's management and getting the best deals, their accommodation, food, travel, live production, sponsorship marketing, etc. Usually, the venue SOPs are the responsibility of the end client as in most cases they book the venue," he says.
Kinjal feels college fests are more susceptible to mismanagement because event management companies are seldom involved in full capacity in these cases. "Even if they opt for one, college students want to have the control as organisers. So, the venue facilities and whether or not to allow more people are their discretion. Besides,

Nazrul Manch

is not a proper concert venue. It's better off for corporate affairs. The false ceiling height and the fact that it's not an open-air venue anymore all add up to hindrances in organising a rock concert there, but do we have any better location than this?" he asks.
Kinjal also shares how he has volunteered to help Kolkata up its game in this regards. "I have reached out to three leaders in the West Bengal government and told them that I can share the SOPs of other cities to help improve Kolkata's live show infrastructure, which if followed by all the stakeholders will ensure we don't lose another star to an accident like this," he says.