‘Overwhelming’ opening ceremony dominates conversations

NEW DELHI - At homes, in coffee shops, on the Metro and almost everywhere else - the brilliantly put together opening ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games dominated conversations Monday, a day after the event.

Five-year-old Niharika couldn’t stop raving about the colourful spectacle.

The ceremony was so beautiful! I loved the colourful dresses of the hundreds of dancers and the fireworks and also the train which was beautifully decorated, Niharika said, bubbling with excitement.

Riddhima Sharma, a home maker who couldn’t buy a ticket to the ceremony, sat in front of the TV Monday to catch highlights of the ceremony.

I don’t think there will be anyone who would have watched the show and not have felt proud to be an Indian. We know that we have a rich cultural heritage, but the way they put it all together and choreographed the whole show, it was just overwhelming, Sharma told IANS.

I couldn’t buy a ticket for the opening ceremony, but I have got one for the closing ceremony. I also watched the highlights of the show this morning, she added.

The opening ceremony of the Games held at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium had 65,000 spectators. A total of 6,700 athletes from 71 Commonwealth countries and territories are participating in the fortnight long sporting extravaganza that will end Oct 14.

Rishita Chatterjee, a student, sitting with her college friends at Barista, a popular coffee shop in Connaught Place said: I think the opening ceremony was awesome. I especially liked the piece when a group of children got into a folded hands formation, denoting swagatam.

Anubhav Jain, her friend who is a Games volunteer, added: I am so glad that I volunteered for the Games and got to see the ceremony live! My favourite has got to be the piece, the great Indian journey, which had everything - from wedding bands to dabbawalas and Gandhi - showcasing India.

Reading the reviews of the ceremony in the day’s newspapers, conversations mainly hovered around the ceremony among commuters on Delhi Metro too.

On Facebook, a popular social networking website, Ranu Baruah, a student in Assam, said: Loved the opening ceremony… so spellbound that whole family watched the highlights again today!.

Nayanika Jayaraman, an IT professional in Bangalore said: I was at work when the opening ceremony was going on last evening, but a couple of us caught bits and pieces of the show on TV. But my wife has been going gaga over it, so I watched the highlights.