The hands that presented the Commonwealth medals

In a sea of red,blue,black and green t-shirts,these three stand out in intricate lehengas and heavy make-up fit for a bride.

In a sea of red,blue,black and green t-shirts,these three stand out in intricate lehengas and heavy make-up fit for a bride. The victory hostesses who bring the medals on glittering trays are among the most glamorous in the Games,and one may think they have it easy in the limelight. Well,they do not. What the spectators dont see are the hours of work and practice that go into preparing for the medal ceremony,where these girls dressed in purple lehengas hand out awards that finally go to the winners.

The girls,mostly from Delhi University,have to arrive three to four hours in advance,put on their make-up and then subject themselves to a complete lock-down without even the luxury of using a cellphone or visiting the loo. Then they remain standing for hours under the blazing sun,with smiles pasted on their faces.

But none of them are complaining. Instead,the three girls maintain that they are lucky to be chosen,considering that it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When Newsline met Anupreet,Pratishtha Chhetri and Sakshi Mehra at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium for hockey,they were standing in attention with trays firmly held in their hands. It was announced just then that the medal ceremony would happen only after 15 minutes and,almost immediately,the three sank to the floor to straighten their lehengas. Designed by Shalini Narang,the lehengas would have to be returned after the Games are done.

As many as 71 girls were chosen by the OC to work as hostesses,besides representing the Commonwealth countries at the Opening Ceremony. Anupreet carried the banner of England,Pratishtha carried the flag of Antigua and Bermuda,and Sakshi carred the banner of Maldives.

It was the most exciting thing to ever happen to me. The crowd was screaming and it made me feel very proud, said Anupreet. All the three girls work as models in their spare time. When asked if participating in the medal ceremony was as glamorous as modelling,they said its not fair to compare the two. When one is representing the country,its more about pride than glamour. In any case,we were dressed in traditional clothes, said Sakshi.

Since the opening ceremony,the girls have been to many stadiums,and each medal ceremony was carefully rehearsed a day in advance so the hostesses could know when to walk forward with their trays. They are being paid Rs 30,000 for the 15-day event. I hope there will be a day when I can tell my grandchildren how I represented my country, said Pratishtha.

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