6 Things That Went Wrong In Comic Con Express Pune 2016 | Akash Khond

Comic Con India went out of there way to give Pune a chance at hosting this event, and as one would expect Pune excelled at it. The turnout for the Comic Con Express Pune 2016 was excellent. People not only flooded the venue but also actively participated in the cosplay competition. Everything was beyond expectations.

But…

Its like an inherent ability of ours, to shit over things that are going good, make a fuss about it and do it right the next time. The cycle keeps on going.

We preach, but do we practice? If there were half the number of dustbins as there was support staff the place would have been better off. The poor cleaning lady continuously sweeping the floor only to find it dirty again the moment she turns around. Empty water bottles were all over the main stage area.

40-50% people had no idea who Peter Nguyen and Ivan Brandon were. At least some had the decency to do a quick google search and mug up as much as they could about the special guests, sadly even fewer fans were so ecstatic about the Indian talent. Although Aniruddho Chakraborty, Abhijeet Kinni, Saumin Suresh Patel, Harshomohan Chattoraj, Bharath Murthy and all other Indian artists had nothing but praise for Comic Con Express Pune, it was sad to see the audience favour the Western wave of creativity instead of our own.

Far be us from criticizing the hard working, dedicated volunteer workforce in the deadly heat of Pune. But let’s face it, the teenagers were literally loitering the place. Apart from helpful ones at the ticket booth, the cheerful ones at the entrance and the strict ones near the main stage;the other minions were just hovering over the fans and shoving them from one booth to the other and out the door towards the line for a picture and then straight to the exit. Infact on both days more number of volunteers were seen gathering outside for breaks, cause the sheer number of them was totally useless. Instead the management could’ve invested more in the food section.

The sun was beating at a whopping 35 degree-celsius and there was no water to be found. No we’re not exaggerating. There was no drinking water facility anywhere at the venue. Oh wait, did I miss the caterers? my bad. Right; so how much for bottled water? Rs. 30/- Oh wait, how about an Ice-tea instead? Rs. 100/-. The food with the colossal prices, we understand. But come on guys, No water? What is that about?

‘Cosplay is not consent.’ Beautiful as it is powerful the message was loud and clear. But it takes only one bad apple to spoil the bunch. And yes we indeed spotted quite a few. There were those who were forcibly trying to take pictures with the cosplayers despite their discomfort. Now they may not have crossed some moral lines, but you just had to look once and you’d know, he/she was not upto it. Except Ironman, Mr. Stark was cool. Taking pictures for 2 days straight.