How Sabarimala LIVE OB is done year after year- All the equipment in the 20 yr old EFP Van of DDK Trivandrum was totally dismantled . For this work started 1 week back around 4/1/18. All loose eqpts were put in 31 large Metal boxes. Added to this is 11 boxes of 1+1 Fly away C BAND DSNG & 4 boxes of 70x lens & RF Cameras etc. Total 46 boxes. Engineering team moves from the Kendra on 11/1/18. These 46 boxes were transported by Vehicles upto Pampa (foot hill of Sabarimala) on 11/1/18. From Pampa using head load workers, all these 46 boxes are transported manually uphill to Sannidhanan, which is 5kms up.
All Boxes & all Engg team reach sannidhanam by evening 6pm on 11/1/18. After 10 pm on same day cabling work starts & ends by 3pm early morning on 12/1/18. Room allotment for staff was taken up with Kerala Dewaswom board 3 months ago, who graciously allots us 3 rooms at Maramathu complex, Sannidhanam on 11/1/18. Room nos 15, 16, 17. Control room is setup in room no.16 by 12/1 morning & no. 15 & 17 are used by all staff incld. program, cameraman etc.
By 12/1/18 evening all installation & testing is completed. From 12/1/18, 7.00 pm onwards hot switching to DD Malayalam News were given. On 13/1/18 also hot-switching to news was given. Evening 6.30pm a curtain raiser was also telecast from ob spot.
All the said 3 rooms are fully unfurnished, with only plane cement floor. All staff have to sleep on the floor, with sheets etc. Food is also a problem there & staff mostly eat free food provided by Devaswom, which is hygienic. But one has to walk through heavy crowd. On 14/1/18 also hot-switching to news was given in morning & afternoon. LIVE coverage starts from 3.00pm.
After the end of coverage, the reverse process of packing all the eqpts in boxes, transporting it 5 km downhill to Pampa by head load workers & by vehicle to DDK Trivandrum begins. Reinstalling in EFP Van will take another 3-4 days.
Well done team Engineers for the Supreme effort taken.
MAY LORD AYYAPPA BLESS US ALL....
Source : Subramonian Iyer