MONMOUTH JUNCTION, NJ – January 31, 2011 – Infinova today announced that over 40 million people were peaceably able to participate in 2010's Kumbh Mela, the largest religious gathering in the world, held January 14 to April 28, 2010, in Hardiware, India, in part due to a surveillance system including Infinova IP cameras. Infinova integrator HCL Security Ltd was recently provided a letter of commendation from the Uttarakhand Police for their efforts and the surveillance system used during the gathering.
"HCL's wireless IP surveillance...has worked very effectively," reads the letter.
Based on a survey undertaken by HCL Security, it was decided that, given the irregularity of the terrain in Hardiware, an integration of Infinova IP cameras with the city's already-installed analog cameras enabled by a wireless connectivity backbone would be the best solution for the gathering. The central control room accepted feeds from both camera technologies.
"HCL Security did a tremendous job during this pilgrimage and deservedly earned this letter of commendation as this project was massive," emphasizes Milind Borkar, Infinova vice president, India, Middle East & Africa. "On April 14 alone, approximately 10 million people bathed in the Ganges River and the surveillance system helped assure that all were safe."
The major event of the festival is ritual bathing at the banks of the Ganges River. Other activities include religious discussions, devotional singing, mass feeding of holy men and women and the poor, and religious assemblies where doctrines are debated and standardized. Thousands of holy men and women attend and the auspiciousness of the festival is in part attributable to this.
