Sunday, Oct 26, 2003
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Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad
By K.V.S. Madhav
As limousine after limousine swept through the dusty roads of Nanakramguda, a sleepy hamlet in Seri Lingampally municipality barely a kilometre away from the GMC Balayogi Stadium glittering like the Kohinoor itself, people watched the caravan pass by wryly. There was no way they could be a part of the celebrations marking Hyderabad's reaching yet another sports milestone. They only had television to rely on to watch history being made in their very own backyard. It wasn't them alone. Thousands of Hyderabadis had to cool their heels at home on the Diwali weekend holiday and watch the spectacle unfold on the telly. A case of so near yet so far! After passing through a series of barricades and security frisks expecting a multitude of people, there was the baffling sight of half-empty stands in the 30,000-capacity stadium. There were empty chairs in most of the stands, barring the VIP enclosure that was filled to the brim, and the barren look continued till the last of the fireworks abated. If only the organisers were more open-minded, more people could have been witness to one of the grandest shows ever to unfold on their soil. The budget for the opening and closing ceremonies was put at a whopping Rs. 17 crores! What a waste when sports enthusiasts and the general public do not get to see the biggest show ever. "It's disappointing in the sense that this was happening for the second successive time. The common people were denied watching the spectacle unfolding live even during the National Games. On TV, the ads during the show were pretty irritating," bemoaned Krishna, an enthusiast. And sheer extravaganza it was in all respects as the spectacle unfolded with an explosion of colour, light and sound taking people to a dizzying high. This was the night of wonder when the grass was greener and the lights brighter. People sat riveted watching those blindingly brilliant lasers shoot up like arrows into the skies and fireworks explode in a fusillade. The spirit of the great African and Asian continents was truly alive with tales, art and music from the lands reverberating in the stadium. Sheroo, the mascot of the games, turned out to be the darling of the crowd as he let his hair er... mane down along with the entire animal kingdom! If the ballet-like display of martial arts of China, India and Thailand took one's breath away, there were tales of violence and apostles of peace so integral to the Asian and African histories that were narrated with great dignity. As the caravan returned from the opening ceremony, it was business as usual at Nanakramguda. Some people lounged outside their shops, some more were doing their last minute festival shopping, a youngster was tying auspicious strings of mango leaves to his house's main entrance and women were sweeping their front yards clean and decorating them with `muggu'. Beyond the dimly lit village was the glittering stadium that shone like the sun as the clock ticked close to midnight.
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