TAKE A GOOD LOOK

Take a good look at the transformed Delhi, with now ravishing looks, decked like a new bride, before it is too late and the look withers away.

Delhi, hijacked by the OC with the help of army, paramilitary forces, police, and volunteers in uniform, swarming all over and transformed: groomed, bathed, shampooed, given pedicure and manicure, made up and dressed in all the bridal finery: looking good and smelling good.

Now a sight to see: signage, game’s lane, traffic police every 100 yards, escort vehicles, with flashing lights, leading the red low floor AC busses with dark windows, transporting the athletes safely to and fro between the village and the sporting venues, whizzing past. For a change, the now disciplined, traffic, keeping to own lanes, except the more adventurous motorcyclists, sneaking in and out of the reserved lanes; few cyclists and fewer pedestrians: It is a Delhi so different from that of few months back and so was Delhi during the 1984 Asiad; till, post the games the Delhiets, once again, took- it- over and it was back to Delhi that we know of : chaotic, in frenzy on move all the time and filthy, but the Delhi we love to live-in and visit.

So have a good look at the glamorous Delhi till the look lasts and before the denizens rescue it from the OC with the army back in barracks, the paramilitary banished once again to the border and the police, especially the traffic do the vanishing trick.

COMMON WEALTH GAMES AND AFTER

Not withstanding the adverse comments and innumerable glitches in the approach to the opening of the Common Wealth Games, finally one can say:
India Can Do, Will Do and Did Do. And so did the players; doing India proud.

What the games have achieved for the country is in creating the feeling of oneness, a massive national integration. When a player won and the Indian flag went up and the national anthem played; it was the Nation in the medal winners head and heart, the feeling and emotion transparently visible and glowing bright on the continence and also amid the tumulusly cheering, in stadia, spectators and the multitude of the countrymen glued to their TV screens,

Games have brought the reality to the youth that there is more to life than Cricket; introducing them to many more games, some for the first time, given new icons and new role-models to look-up to follow and emulate.

In the process World class facilities have also been created to cater for the young sports persons to play and train-in.

The only nagging issue is the maintenance and upkeep of the infrastructure created once the euphoria of successful culmination of the games peters out.

ASIAD 1984 -Common Wealth Games 2010

This evening the 3rd of October as I watch on TV, the fortress JLN Stadium, shining like a jewel, ready and awaiting the opening ceremony of the Common Wealth Game 2010, secured from Land, Air and possibly also Sea (the river side), I am reminded of ASIAD 1984.
Parking the car, as I and my daughter walked towards the venue, as a serving brigadier posted at Army HQ, I did rate an invitation, albeit only to the grand rehearsal of the opening ceremony, I was struck with a still fresh and enduring image, from the other faded ones of the occasion, of Kiran Bedi, or Crane Bedi, the sobriquet, that she was called by the public, the Delhi traffic boss those days and so responsible for the arrangements during the games also , nonchalantly parked on the bonnet of a Jeep, completely relaxed , with a carefree demeanour and deep in an animated conversation with some one.
The two images leave nothing more to be said of how the times changed.