What securing Michael Jackson in 1996 taught me about building PressHop

A photo of me at 25 years of age - around the same time we secured Michael Jackson's mega concert in Mumbai, India

In 1996, I was 25 years young, hungry, and running a small security company in Mumbai called TOPS Security. We had around 500 employees, a few loyal clients, and dreams far bigger than our reality.

When I heard that Michael Jackson was coming to India for his first-ever concert, something inside me lit up. I didn’t have the contract, the connections, or the resources but I had an unshakable conviction that TOPS should be the one to secure that concert.

So, I started chasing the organisers. Every day. Every week. For nearly 45 days straight. I called, met, persuaded, explained, pleaded. They thought I was crazy. After all, why would they trust a small, young company for an event of that magnitude? But I refused to take no for an answer. I told them, “You may find bigger firms, but no one will care more, plan harder, or deliver better than we will.”

Eventually, after relentless persistence and conviction, they gave in.TOPS Security was officially awarded the contract to manage the entire security operation for Michael Jackson’s concert at the Andheri Sports Complex, Mumbai - one of the biggest events India had ever seen.

That single ‘yes’ changed my life.

We needed 700 security officers in 10 Days and I only had 500 men: my first major operational challenge in my twenties

Then the reality hit. We needed 700 trained security personnel and we only had 500 employees. We had barely 10 days to prepare. But fear doesn’t build legacies, faith does.

So I got to work. I went across Mumbai to gyms, sports clubs, boxing rings, and even police training centres, searching for strong, disciplined, reliable people. I approached my competitors, requesting temporary manpower support. I met coaches, trainers, and athletes, asking them to join us for what would be the most iconic concert in Indian history.

Some thought I was mad. Others said it couldn’t be done. But by the end of that week, we had done it - 700 men and women, trained and ready.

For three days straight, we trained them intensively. No sleep, no rest, just focus and fire. We practiced crowd control, evacuation procedures, communication drills, emergency response, and coordination signals. I reminded every single person that this wasn’t just a concert. It was a test of professionalism, unity, and pride.

Two days before the concert, I stopped going home. My two little daughters were just 3 years and 6 months old. I missed them terribly, but I knew that leadership meant showing up, not just in words, but in presence. If I left, the team would relax. If I rested, they’d assume the mission was complete. So I stayed and led on.

That night, we saved 273 lives. Today, we're building a platform to save and empower tens of thousands of voices

The night before the concert, thousands of fans started queuing outside the stadium. Some had waited for 12 hours or more. By showtime, over 75,000 people had packed into the Andheri Sports Complex.

When Michael Jackson finally stepped on stage, the crowd erupted. The ground shook. The energy was like nothing I’d ever felt.. electric, emotional, overwhelming. But within minutes, the euphoria turned dangerous. The crowd surged forward, and people in the middle began to faint and collapse. There was panic, screaming, and chaos.

I didn’t think, I acted. My team and I jumped into the crowd. We formed human chains and started pulling people out. Some were unconscious, some crying, some struggling to breathe. It was hot, humid, and suffocating, but we didn’t stop. That night, we personally evacuated 273 people from the crowd. 273 human beings who went home safely to their families.

There was no sufficient water arranged at the venue. People were desperate, dehydrated. I grabbed a water hose, connected it to the main supply, and started spraying the crowd, trying to bring relief to the exhausted and the fainting.

By the time the concert ended, not a single life had been lost.The event went down in history as one of India’s most flawlessly managed concerts and the organisers thanked TOPS Security for pulling off the impossible.

But for me, the real victory wasn’t in the applause or the recognition. It was in those 273 people who got to live another day.

Leadership is learned on the streets, in chaos, not in boardrooms

I learned that:

• Leadership means standing in the fire, not watching from a distance.

• Planning saves lives, but compassion saves souls.

• Technology, systems, and titles mean nothing without courage and empathy.

• You can’t wait for permission to act when lives or principles are at stake, you move.

  
  

Decades of operational battles taught me one thing: execution is everything. That’s exactly what’s shaping PressHop into the world’s most trusted citizen journalism platform

Years later, when I joined the PressHop team as the Chief Editor I wanted to bring that same spirit, courage, conviction, and humanity into journalism. Because at its core, journalism is also about showing up when it matters most.

Just like my security team that night, our PressHoppers, citizens with a smartphone, a conscience, and a sense of duty, step up to capture truth when the world looks away.

When someone on PressHop records a protest, a flood, a car crash, or a moment of injustice, they’re doing what we did that night in 1996. Acting from instinct. From humanity. From courage. Back then, I was leading 700 people on the ground. Today, as the Chief Editor, I am proud to lead over 11,000 citizen journalists across the UK, USA, India, and soon, the world.

The mission hasn’t changed, only the tools have. Whether it’s securing a concert or empowering citizens to tell real stories, my purpose has always been the same. To empower people. To trust them. To lead from the front.

That night with Michael Jackson didn’t just teach me how to lead. It taught me how to believe in people, in purpose, and in persistence. And that’s what PressHop stands for.

Ordinary people.Extraordinary stories.Unstoppable truth.

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