Martial arts, music…and the cheers don’t stop at CWG closing gala (Second Lead)

NEW DELHI - If there was dramatic display of martial arts and foot-tapping patriotic music from military bands, then there was also spontaneous bonhomie and cheer from thousands of athletes and volunteers who had their final moment of glory in the 19th Commonwealth Games at the closing ceremony here Thursday.

The 60,000 spectators who had packed into the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium roared and burst into applause every now and then as Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the guest of honour, looked on. Accompanying him were Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Also sitting in the VIP box was Prince Edward, younger brother of Prince Charles, who was at the opening ceremony.

As a helium aerostat crowned the venue, drawing a thousand eyes to its dazzling images, on the ground over 500 martial artists from the far corners of India put up a striking display of the country’s traditional craft. Carrying swords, sticks and other traditional weapons, they performed “Agni”, the glory of sports.

The martial music that followed, with booming drums and lilting bagpipes, struck a patriotic chord among the Indian crowds. When the military bands belted out popular tunes like “Kadam kadam badhaye ja” and “Sare jahan se accha”, many spectators could be heard singing along with pride.

But the stage soon softened as schoolchildren smeared the stage in the colours of the Indian flag as national song “Vande Mataram” played in the backdrop. Moments of spontaneous applause then filled the air - for it was time for the many volunteers who had toiled hard to make the Games a success - to flood the stage.

The loudest cheer though was reserved for the real heroes - the athletes and officials of the Games, especially the Indian contingent. There were smiles, waving of hands and flags from the players, many of whom put up banners thanking India for pulling off a spectacular Games.

The closing ceremony capped 12 days of sporting glory that saw Australia take home the biggest haul of medals at 177, including 74 gold. For the first time in the history of the Games, India took the second slot with a rich haul of 101 medals, including 38 gold. England ended up with 143 medals, including 37 gold.

The gala was also a tribute to the 6,700 athletes of the 71 participating teams (54 countries and territories) from Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Caribbean, 10 from Europe and 13 from Oceania.