While the entire country and the international community went hammer and tongs about mismanagement issues before the Common Wealth Games (CWG),there were a few people who instead wanted to use the Games as an opportunity to showcase their nationalistic pride and support for the national team. Teenagers Pradnesh Modak and Moiz Bandukwala fall in that latter category and they travelled to Delhi to be a part of the ongoing CWG.
Of course there was a lot of negative publicity that was centered around the CWG prior to its start,but that was precisely why we wanted to go to the Games, says Modak,adding,We began planning for the Games almost two months back.
The duo have gone for the Games with the sole purpose of cheering the National contingent. I mean,the CWG is the third largest spectacle in the world,and it was being held here in India. We wanted to be there because of our sense of nationalistic pride and sheer love for this event, says Bandukwala,a student of Symbiosis College of Commerce. Honestly speaking,we enjoyed tennis the most as it was very well represented. Right from Somdev,to Paes-Bhupati and Bopanna – they were all there. Watching their matches was nothing short of a novel experience. However,we also loved the hockey matches as they showcased the enthusiasm of the Delhi fans, he adds.
For them,the highlight of the Games has been the Queen’s Baton relay. Modak,who is a second year civil engineering diploma student,says,A lot of our common friends were members of the management team at the CWG,thus we got the opportunity to hold the Queen’s Baton that had travelled through 71 countries. It was such a cool experience! In addition to this,we also jumped onto the Ho-Ho buses that have been specifically bought for the games. One can just get onto the buses for a ride to 19 different historic places in the city.
The two of them also agree that the opening ceremony was really spectacular. It was breath-taking. And all the hue and cry about the games being a sham was not true. It was just too good. We even ran into a lot of foreigners who echoed the same sentiments. This is what we expected from the games and this is what we got from it, says Bandukwala,cheerfully.