Delhi CWG-2010

Mani Shankar Aiyer probably will go down as a worst sports minister India ever had. There is nothing more sin a sports minister can commit than undermining (or casting a spell) the significance of a sports event in his home country. The athletes though gave a befitting reply not just by winning the medals but by winning everyone’s heart.

True, India could have spent that money on training sports persons or India could not afford to spend so much on ‘luxury’ when many of its citizens are barely meeting their ends. If this is the scenario the lunar probe mission, mars mission etc must have been scrapped long back. After all the common man is not expected to do a round trip to the moon or mars on a yearly basis. Yet more and more money spent on these projects only strengthens the significance of the mission. Though this may not be sufficient it is necessary to gain respect from other nations. You will be on a total new elevated platform.

The performance from the athletes is nothing less than outstanding. No Adulation is enough. Congratulations to all the athletes for making the games so memorable. The scenes of stoic 16 year old Deepika beating the Olympian , Saha and Sharath ecstasy after claiming gold, Saina hugging her mentor, the 4x400m relay run, to name a few, are moments of joy not just for the athletes but for the whole nation. Goose bump period I say. Gagan Narang(btw hope he gets Khel Ratna this time) said Hyderabadi’s success at the games can be attributed to the infrastructure created during the Afro-Asian games. So it beats me why Mani Shankar cannot see the long term benefits the games can bring to Indian sports on the whole.

The Opening ceremony left an indelible impression on the cultural richness of our nation. The pyros, the stadia, the infra was nothing less than the best. Yet the outside issues were focused more than the real issues. Sushil kumar complaining about his bed were uncalled for. Also can’t fathom why he was chewing bubble gum while carrying the torch. Seriously chewing the gum in front of the Prince and President?? Finding snakes in the village is also a failure on the part of OC? Come on the OC cannot do anything in this case. On the other hand, it was irresponsibility on the part of OC to be so lackadaisical in getting the events ready. Couldn't agree more with the media on that. And finally the Closing ceremony was a big disappointment. May be it was purposefully scaled down or whatever. Glascow stealed the show. Nevertheless, what started as a shame and corruption ended with pride and glory.

No one expected India to get 101 medals let alone the second position. And I wish this to be a stepping stone for our athletes to perform much better in other prestigious events. It feels lot better to move away from cricket and focus on other sports.Talent is ocean but unfortunately encouragement is a puddle. Asian games might shed a some more light on the performance of our athletes. Till then hoping to see our athletes shine.And Delhi looks so beautiful at least on the TV. GachiBowli was a desert until Hyderabad hosted the Afro Asian games. Now it boasts the best roads in Hyderabad. If organizing games brings out the best from the city hell I want Olympics.

PS. My current desktop background is the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium lit with beautiful colors and all the fireworks. Makes me feel so proud.