The night that was…

Those glued to their television sets all of Thursday evening will admit the energy at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium...

City residents bring home starry tales of the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony

Those glued to their television sets all of Thursday evening will admit the energy at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium,the venue of the closing ceremony of the 19th Commonwealth Games was palpable. Packed to its brim with nearly 60,000 spectators,the stadium played host to an exciting finish celebrating the Games and India’s record medal haul of 101 with 38 golds. While Delhiites dominated the spectator strength,a handful of enthusiasts from Chandigarh experienced the ceremony live in action. From “spectacular” fireworks to a laser show like none other,here’s a first hand account of their “once in a lifetime” experience.

“It was amazing. The show was well put together and a lot of fun. It was nice to see sportsmen from other countries enjoy the cultural presentation,” remarked Sukhmanpreet Singh Sidhu. The lawyer from Punjab and Haryana High Court was lucky enough to catch both the opening as well as closing ceremonies. “We had booked tickets in advance and I went with friends,” informed Sidhu who was impressed with the over 2,700 shots of fireworks towards the end. “It was the perfect way to celebrate the success of our sportsmen and it was like a big party,a well deserved one,” he quipped.

For Nandini Shivpuri,a school teacher and her 13-year-old daughter Shalini,the evening left them feeling very proud in their hearts. “The ceremony in itself had a wow-factor but I was more impressed with the security arrangements,” says Shivpuri as she adds,”Even though we had to walk for over an hour,it was worth it. We had managed two passes and though it ended late at night,my daughter and I felt really safe,” adds Shivpuri.

The success of the opening ceremony and the starry line-up of singers convinced Ravinder Sekhon,a Mohali-based entrepreneur that the efforts to get tickets for the closing act of the Games would be worthwhile. “My friends in Gurgaon had mentioned about traffic jams and long queues but I decided to still go ahead,” Sekhon who went with his wife and seven-year-old daughter. “It was spectacular specially the band display by the forces and I must commend the hard work put in by the school students,” says Sekhon who didn’t mind the umpteen security checks. “Though the volunteers were mostly clueless and we had to shift gates at the last minute,it was well worth it in the end.”

According to Lt Gen M S Buttar,Chief of Staff,Western Command,who was present at the opening ceremony,the Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010 belonged to the sportsmen and women of India. “The grand ceremonies apart,we need to give them credit for making CWG such a success,” he says. Yes,it’s that record stack of gold,which made the closing ceremony and the Games a hit,even for those glued to their television sets far,far away.

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