Delhi Underground

cover up

The Prasar Bharati team in charge of transmission and recording the CWG closing ceremony did not show Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit entering the stadium. During the opening ceremony,the visuals of her entry were greeted with a long cheer from the spectators. However,with both Sonia Gandhi and son Rahul Gandhi present at the venue,the political bosses seem to have been playing safe during the closing ceremony. Doordarshan was not the only one to blackout Sheila,Lieutenant-Governor Tejinder Khanna also strategically omitted taking her name during his speech.

Recorded show

The Commonwealth Games closing ceremony failed to generate the wow factor of the opening ceremony and was considered “very average” by those present. Though conceived well,the show suffered due to the lack of rehearsals at the JLN Stadium. The last segment,‘The journey of love’,with Bollywood singers performing ‘live’ was planned with extensive props for the dancers. But with no rehearsals done,the performers were clueless and none of the props were used. The audience was also left wondering why Shiamak Davar chose to sing “We will rock you!”. But no one seemed to notice that none of the singers was ‘live’ and everything was recorded.

Good manners

While congratulating the first ever Mahila Battalion of the Nagaland Armed Police for a job well done during the Games,Union Home Minister P Chidambaram also made a fleeting reference to the “changed behaviour” of the Dilliwalas. He said,“The behaviour of the people of Delhi has vastly changed over the last 15 days.” The Nagaland battalion was called to the city to man various markets in the Capital. This was their first assignment and the young women were still undergoing training in advanced weapons and tactics of jungle warfare back home. The minister also said that the behaviour of the Delhi police personnel has changed. “They are more polite” he said,hoping that “it lasts and is not temporary”.

Stuck on the road

While international athletes gave rave reviews about their stay in the country during the Games,some Indian athletes complained about the treatment meted out to them. For instance,weightlifting gold medalist Renu Bala Chanu was left waiting for transport to ferry her from the competition venue back to the Games Village for nearly an hour one evening. Tired of waiting,Chanu finally hopped on to an auto and made her way back to the Games Village.

Mr Popular

While Jamaica’s triple jump champion Trecia Smith won the “Best Athlete Award” at the Commonwealth Games,it was Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar who was judged the “most popular”. In a popularity contest conducted by Village Voice,the Commonwealth Games Village newsletter,Kumar was elected by athletes from 71 countries. Kumar’s Pakistani counterpart wrestler Muhammad Inam had this to say,“He is an inspirational figure,and the best thing about him is his modesty. He was so happy the day when I won the gold.” “Even though I defeated an Indian,Sushil Kumar was happy for me,” added the ace grappler from across the border.

Food thieves

A Recent burglary in East Delhi cost the owner not just his cash but also his food. The incident occurred at 2.30 pm when the owner and his wife were out shopping and two thieves ransacked the house and stole jewellery worth an estimated Rs 3lakh. However,what left the owners bewildered was the fact that their food was also gone. “When I returned,I found all my jewellery missing. But when I opened the fridge,I found all my six apples and the dinner I prepared,missing too,” the woman of the house said.