Coming in a flash

KOCHI: Flash mobs, until recently, were something that happened in top- notch cities in India and abroad. But on December 16, 2011, our little city got the first taste of its energy and spirit thanks to the two young men whose determination and exuberance gifted the state its first flash mob at Oberon Mall, Kochi. Meet Mathew John, a business development officer at Equity Intelligence, and Sharath George Benny, an advertising personnel, the master-brain behind Kochi’s first-ever flash mob. “We were inspired by the Mumbai flash mob and wanted to do something similar in Kochi too.  We expected a maximum of 40 people, but were overwhelmed to see over 150 people joining in our endeavour,” says Mathew.  Mathew’s and Sharath’s wide friends’ circle, which extends from school mates to office friends, joined in this high-energy art movement. “We had people in the age group of 5-52. Many joined in through word-of-mouth. Many of our friends and their friends came in. I had also informed people about it at my church. The response was very encouraging,” says Mathew. Sharath adds in, “Even in the initial stages, nobody was sceptical about our initiative. We wanted to project a social cause through entertainment with the active participation of the youth.  We had sought the permission of the general manager of Oberon Mall to conduct the flash mob.” The performance lasted eight minutes and was done on multiple songs including that from movies like ‘Chak De! India’, ‘Bodyguard’ and other peppy numbers. The songs ended with national anthem.  The theme of the flash mob was ‘No hate mate’ and was based on the Mullaperiyar issue. The financial support for the flash mob was provided by Porinju Veliyath, the CEO of Equity Intelligence.  The practice sessions were held at Porinju’s  flat. Ever since the flash mob video was uploaded on You Tube, comments applauding their effort have been pouring in. “You definitely got your message through. Amazing performance,” says a comment that appeared on You Tube. The duo says that though most of the response was positive, there were a few who were critical of it too. Nevertheless, they are happy that they could make their endeavour a success.