The Woodstock Music and Art Fair - which according to its producer and promoter Artie Kornfeld saw '12 people bonding over one sandwich, drugs and love' - was a watershed in the history of rock.

It gave music a cause to espouse and became the cradle of the anti-war hippie movement of the 1970s. The flower generation, as the freewheeling hippies were known, flocked to India in droves seeking nirvana in eastern mysticism and music to escape the trauma of war.

As Kornfeld said in the interview: 'Woodstock was not so much about music as a medium, but it was a message of equality for everyone in a world where some people have everything and others have nothing. I wanted the people of America to be part of the solution and not the problem.'

The concert, recalled Kornfeld, drew performers like The Who, Santana, Janis Joplin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Joe Cocker, Sly and the Family Stone, Jimi Hendrix - and 'in their only second live show together Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young'.

The concert began at 5.07 p.m. on Aug 15 with an opening act by Richie Havens and ended with Jimi Hendrix's 'Star-Spangled Banner'.

'Despite the delays, the traffic snarls, the danger of electrical shocks, Woodstock pulled off the ultimate magic act of the 1960s, turning utter rain-soaked chaos into the greatest rock festival ever and the decade's most successful experiment in peace and community,' Kornfeld said.

He hit upon the idea of Woodstock at his apartment with his wife Linda and friend Michael Lang, whom he described as 'the king of underground', after a late night pool game. He left his job to pursue his dream.

In a new book, 'The Pied Piper of Woodstock', Kornfeld chronicles the inside story of the festival and the history of American rock 'n' roll. He has also created a new website 'Spirit of Woodstock' to celebrate four decades of the concert.

(David Masilamani's interview with Kornfeld and his Woodstock Tribute can be accessed at www.myopusradio.com.)

(Madhusree Chatterjee can be contacted at madhu.c@ians.in)