Commonwealth Games 2010: India opens doors to the world at opening ceremony
No collapsing scenery or malfunctioning sound system. No fluffed lines, botched choreography or missed cues and not a single stray dog in sight. The preparations for the XIXth Commonwealth Games may have been an unmitigated disaster but India certainly knows how to put on a show.
A dazzling, colorful, high-octane opening ceremony that was part Bollywood, part cultural extravaganza, did much to dispel the nightmares of the past fortnight, thrilling a sell-out crowd in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium as well as the athletes and officials from 71 Commonwealth nations. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/commonwealthgames/8039988/Commonwealth-Games-2010-India-opens-doors-to-the-world-at-opening-ceremony.html Just saw the Opening Ceremony Online. Looks great.
I liked the fact that they did pull together at the end and make it happen better than anyone expected.
I also liked the fact how they included the "common man" in the ceremony by having people from all walks of life...from the poor porter to the bicycle repairman take part in the opening ceremony, acknowledging that even though this is an extravaganza, it is only made possible by the efforts of working people. I believe that is unique, unlike in the recent Olympics where one was shown only the positives and the glitzy.
Tibetans were also given a prominent place at the commencement of the ceremony( Maybe there is a political message here..hmmm)
Yet another thing I appreciated about this event was the inclusion of the tribal communities from the remote corners of India. The African Tribesmen from the Andaman islands, to the mountain people from the North Eastern Himalayan foothills were all included, and their traditional dances performed. After all, India is a nation made up of hundreds of ethnicities and dozens of languages. It is indeed heartening to see that diversity is welcomed and even encouraged, as befitting the biggest democracy in the world. Having said that, there is a consensus that after the games, those responsible for the poor initial preparations should be made to face the music.
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link to the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glPTYcGZnAI&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNoKHFDYdBc&p=38CBF8463EDBCED9( the performances continue from 3.10 on this video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9aUbtneig4&p=38CBF8463EDBCED9http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybM1qN3Ownk&p=38CBF8463EDBCED9(A train representing people from all walks of life)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNi0gM86ks8&p=38CBF8463EDBCED9the rest can be found here
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=38CBF8463EDBCED9&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_72376