CWG 2010 Opening Ceremony Opens a Way to Victory

By Ameet Kumar Parichha

New Delhi: The most awaited moment arrived with an extraordinary opening ceremony of Commonwealth Games 2010 on Oct 3, at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi. The opening ceremony highlighted Indian culture and tradition in an impressive and attractive way. The grand ceremony truly justified the saying 'Athithi Devo Bhava' (Guest is God), that we Indians believe in , by welcoming the guests and making them acquainted with our culture. The participating teams and spectators were fascinated to see such perfection and highly praised the event.

The National Anthem of India marked the beginning of the Commonwealth Games 2010 opening ceremony.Dignitaries such as Prince Charles and his wife and Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla, accompanied by the President Smt. Pratibha Devi Singh Patil, Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh attended the ceremony. On this occasion a special message by the Queen was read by Prince Charles and the games were officially opened by the President, Smt. Pratibha Devi Singh Patil.

The host nation, India, presented its rich cultural heritage through several dance forms such as Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Mohiniattam, Manipuri and Kuchipudi. The expression of most popular guru-shishya tradition mesmerized all the spectators. Eye-catching fireworks, Hariharan’s 'Swagatam' (Welcome) song with schoolchildren, stunning yoga performance, A.R. Rahman’s performance on the theme Song of CWG 2010 displayed the spirit of India.

Pangngam Wangnaw, a media student said, “The ceremony was amazing. Even though I couldn’t make it to the stadium, I enjoyed watching it on TV.”

Selva, a student of NISCORT said, “The cultural programs were great and the entire ceremony reflected the unity in diversity of our country.”

The event was successful in creating a history of being the biggest-ever in terms of participation. The spectacular and magnificent opening ceremony made every Indian proud.