Come out and Play!!!!!!!!!

Hiiiii... am back with a bang .Well , nothing less expected especially with the CWG fire still raging on. Yes ...CWG is a story of controversies ,efforts ,misgivings, mixed feelings and above all, it was an Indian dream. No, my friends i am not a sports freak. Except for the rare enthusiasm that bubbles at cricket when India wins, i am sports illiterate.

I heard for the first time about CWG in Delhi only when the pedestrian bridge in the games site fell, making such a noise that the entire world woke up to the fact that, a third world country is hosting this world sporting event. The next few days were bloody...disgusting tales of dirty rooms, filthy bathrooms, stagnant pools, corruption, great players pulling out and the verbal battles were told in every news, dailies and conferences. Delhi which was unknown to the world few days ago became the next "SIN CITY".

The Politicians and the organizers started to hurry burry having to come under direct world fire. Well there was no way out, the games will have to be a success or else they will be hunted. At the end India's last minute culture fixed it all up and Delhi was set to take the games in. India stunned the world with a spectacular opening ceremony, continued the success achieving milestones and records in events and bid goodbye with befitting , colourful cultural finale. The story doesn't end here it still continues with several fraud deals ,scams and corruption coming to surface.

I watched the entire drama in my tele reacting with anger, contempt, happiness ,reproach and pride as any Indian would .I must congratulate and criticize the games at the same time. India was given this task in 1993 and yet it was finished only in the last minute. Large sums of money was wasted due to inadequate planning ,policies, management and time contained efforts. We have to revise our concept of time management and make it priority number one. Organizers have to become accountable for their works. The law should punish those who looted the games , otherwise the same saga shall repeat.

Another sorry sight was the plight of the illiterate workers who had to sleep in the streets to get the work done. They don't know what CWG is about …..who cares about sports when one has to worry about his three square meals a day. Our govt should tackle problems at their roots .Give good food ,shelter and wages to the workers. Educate them about the games, the way it has to be done, the hygiene standards that are to be set and finally about the revenue and employment that will be generated at the end of the day. Only an efficient workforce can do an efficient work. We are capable of doing great things as a nation .We love the Indian monsoon weddings which is seasoned to run late all the time but when staging an international event we have to be professional.

Inspite of all this road blocks, the feast of success belongs to us. To the world it might have been imperfect but to me it was a success. The games have brought world class metros, bus services, stadiums, sports arenas ,buildings, money and jobs to our country. During the games, we have for the first time won medals in the field of athletics, swimming and gymnastics. We have hauled awards in wrestling, shooting ,archery and boxing. The women's 4*100 m relay and saina's badminton final are unforgettable moments .On the last day ,we stood second with a gold tally of 38 .

I do believe, this is a going to be a very special games because for the first time a country that is ridden with cricket fever is singing a different tune. We should encourage sports in our little ones, give facilities and training and bless them to become heroes of tomorrow. Another positive streak i see is the presence of women who have managed to set records in these games. The feel and the spirit is becoming more stronger within the fairer half. But if the winning streak has to continue, we must be ready to consider sports with the same passion, respect and dignity as other professions at the level of an individual and not merely as a pastime or exercise.

Personally, i am overjoyed. My neighbours surely had a tough time hearing me scream at every Indian win. The pride is stronger when you are far away from your country. We are becoming global but still there are many lessons to be learnt from others as well as from our mistakes. For now, let’s cheer with a smile!!!!