Wednesday 6 October 2010

INDIA BREATHES EASY

The Commonwealth Games began on a splendid note with the successful Opening Ceremony laying to rest all fears of India putting up an embarrassing show in front of the rest of the world. No doubt everyone from an average Indian to Mr. Suresh Kalmadi had the pre-event jitters but they vanished into thin air by the end of the Opening Ceremony. Many who had given up the hope of the success of CWG are now pleasantly surprised.



Even days before the Opening Ceremony the not so encouraging stories about the Games were trickling in & reinforcing the fears of the Games going awry. However, the post Opening Ceremony mood was positive, proud & happy. The web was inundated with expressions of love & pride for the country.


The Ceremony was no less than a festival. Certain moments like the entry of the Indian team into the stadium receiving a standing ovation, performance by artists presenting the six folk dances of India & the ‘Journey of India’ put together by the Indian Railways really struck a chord with the masses.


Though I couldn’t catch the Opening Ceremony in the stadium, but while I was watching the frenzy unfold on the television set, a message I had received a few days back on my cell phone came to my mind. The message was about the conversation between a foreign tourist who had returned from a trip to India & his friend. The friend asks his India returned friend, “How is India & the Indians?” The India returned friend replies, “India is beautiful but I didn’t meet any Indian there. All the individuals I met were either Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati or something similar.” When I first read this message, unfortunately I was in partial agreement but the Ceremony left a proud smile on my lips & made me realise that the message was anything but credible.


Moving on, the Games are now open & India so far has done well for itself. On the first day of the Games though India couldn’t get any gold medals but it did get two silver & two bronze medals. Having pocketed 11 medals in all on the second day of the Games with five of them gold, four silver & two bronze, the players seem to be in great forms. The shooters & wrestlers shined bright. India’s Anisa Sayyed & Rani Sarnobat won gold for women’s 25 metre pistol & Abhinav Bindra & Gagan Narang won gold medals for men’s 10 metre air rifle shooting. All in all the medals tally of India after adding the medals from the third day stands at a handsome 19.


I am very sure that in the coming days of the Games our players will earn more glory & will be able to provide their respective sports with the due attention which should have come their way long back. (Though I am not anti-cricket but in any way I am glad that cricket is not one of the sports being played in the CWG & the other sports can gain their share of loyalists.)


*Cheers to India* :D