The Amritavarsham50 Media-IT Hub
Realising the mammoth nature of Amritavarsham50 and the fact that media teams from across the world would be converging at the International Stadium in Cochin to cover the event, the Ashram set up a Media-IT Hub, a temporary building located next to the stadium, to service the press, media and the Ashram web team.
A meeting of the Ashram's international press coordinators
A dedicated web team of 60 people, comprising reporters, feature writers, photographers, videographers and specialist writers covered every event, ’round the clock. Some of the writers—all of whom were devotees—had professional experience.
News reports, features and photographs of Amritavarsham50 events were uploaded every half hour on the Amritavarsham50 website. The main functions of the Celebrations were webcast live, along with interviews of VIPs from various fields and continents.
The Media-IT Hub also had an exclusive wing catering to the hundreds of press and media persons from all over the globe who came to cover the event.
Journalists representing overseas media included those from The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, India West, Asia Pacific, AFP Wire and Hinduism Today, among other. Freelance journalists also came from Italy, Germany, South Africa, and France, as well as independent film crews from Mauritious, Germany and France.
Amritapuri.org had a full team of editors, feature writers, photographers and technicians
Nearly 60 computers—loaned from Amma’s educational institutions—dotted the Hub. An array of supporting facilities, like phones, email lines, fax and photocopy were also on hand.
The Hub was also equipped with a canteen, restrooms and media briefing areas. Amma’s engineering, computer and business students—with their professors in-tow—were also on hand, providing assisting the visiting media.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about the IT Hub was that it and all its hi-tech equipment were set up within one week and taken down within 36 hours.