India is no stranger to large gatherings, but even then how many cities host more than 78,000 people (at last count, and at least another 22,000 are expected) without any government participation?

Organising the World Social Forum in Mumbai from January 16 through 21 is no mean task. The organisers have been at work for more than six months tackling the nitty-gritty to make sure the participants as well as Mumbai's residents are put to the least possible inconvenience.

The WSF is being held at the NSE Grounds in the northwestern suburb of Goregaon. A majority of participants will be Indian, though not from the metropolis. About 15,000 foreigners are also expected.

The first question that springs to mind is, where will they all stay? It will be partly answered if you try booking a room in any, ANY, hotel in the western suburbs or in south Mumbai. Also packed are most of the dormitories and hostels, and houses that host paying guests.

Vivek Monteiro, veteran trade unionist and a member of the organising committee, says about 15,000 people will be accommodated in tents being put up at two places in Goregaon. Franklin, a member of the Hindustan Lever employees union, is in charge and has been given the responsibility of ensuring that everyone gets basic facilities.

The other big issue is food for all these people. Monteiro says the itinerary is such that people will spend most of their time, from 9am till about 9pm, participating in various events at the NSE Grounds. This means breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the venue. Franklin says the menu will be simple and the food affordable, and attempts will be made to cater to all tastes.

Another problem is transport in a city whose infrastructure is already choked. Monteiro says buses have been arranged for those staying in the tents in Goregaon, but the rest will have to use the public transport system. But as they will move northwards during the morning rush hour, when traffic is headed south, and vice-versa in the evening, they are not expected to cause problems for daily commuters.

You may wonder what all these people are going to do at the WSF. They are expected to discuss alternatives to the current world (pecking) order and to globalisation, no less.

But it is not going to be all boring seminars, panel discussions, and speeches. Artists, writers, poets, and cultural troupes are also in the metropolis to showcase their talents. In fact, they have given the place a very colourful, youthful, and joyful look.

Something about the venue: NSE Grounds is a well-known venue for exhibitions, including some of the biggest in India. The WSF conference has taken up 70 acres here. It took architect P K Das and his team two months to design the layouts and more than three weeks to put it all in place.

The venue now boasts of seminar halls, food stalls, a media centre, the main WSF office, halls for panel discussions, seminars and speeches, translating machines, toilets, 'solidarity' tents, film halls, an amphitheatre, medical teams, and firefighting equipment. Quite thoughtfully, the organisers have even set up a creche.

The largest hall can seat as many as 9,000 people. A slightly smaller one can accommodate 5,000. Then there are several small halls that can accommodate anywhere from 40 to 100 persons. Each hall has been numbered.

For informal get-togethers and meetings, people and organisations can use the 'solidarity tents', which are bare except for a mattress to sit on.

Small stages have been erected at street corners to allow for impromptu gatherings and cultural events. So, if you have something to say but no listener, just go up on a stage and speak your mind. Of course, a megaphone may help.

Das says he has kept the layout simple and easy to navigate. Maps are placed at various places to help participants locate their places of interest.

The organisers have paid heed to the security angle as well. Volunteers will mostly look after the security, while some private guards have been hired to keep an eye on costly equipment. Neither the organisers nor the city police anticipate any major problems.

All this will, obviously, cost a pretty packet. According to Nandita Shah, a member of the finance committee, US $2.4 million (approximately Rs11 crore) is the total budget for the WSF, with the biggest chunk (Rs3.5 crore) being spent on hiring the NSE Grounds and putting up various amenities there.

The obvious question is, who is footing the bill. Each person is paying Rs 100/- as participation fee. Apart from this, the WSF has received contributions from its members (various non-governmental organisations), and from funding agencies like Oxfam (www.oxfam.org), Novib and Hivas. So far, the organisers have collected $1.5 million, or Rs 6.75 crore. The rest they hope to make up somehow.