One who steal the show and those who laggs behind
VIJAY DEO JHA
RANCHI


Faces were teeming on the ceremony day of the National Games; dispatching wave of pride among many citizens and that ultimately won applause from the national as
“pitched-perfect” colour show.
The boiling tide in the run-up seems to have turned and if the streak can be maintained till the closing ceremony is over, those at the receiving end a few days ago could consolidate their once-shaky positions.

Our corresnpondet Vijay Deo Jha attempts to know about the looser and gainer of this evening show.

The Munda Sudesh tandom

They must have arrived a bit nervous, as the route to the opening ceremony was still littered with horror stories of mismanagement and delays. But as they sat down to watch — and the country looked on —they would have sensed confidence, and then
pride, squeeze away their apprehensions. The evening spared them any embarrassments. Munda collected more applause and clapping of the audiences for this great show than what he could have got during his election rally in Kharasawan. He roared in full bass Jai Jharkhand and Bharat Mata Ki Jai: the audience roared too. The BJP led coalition government too, could reap dividends if the Games win the perception
race. They could now think to claim that their team produced quite a humdinger even if critics and doubters were predicting they would deliver a dud. If the high stays intact till the event is over, the Munda will also be able to return to the “development of Jharkhand” theme that he crooned and cackled in Kharsawan assembly election.

Munda, please do not ignore your deputy chief minister Sudesh Kumar
Mahato.

Deepika, the archer

As soon as this little Jharkhandi girl started running with games’ torch she was given standing ovation with endless flash of cameras. Everybody wanted to run with her.

Jharkhand Olympic Association chairman RK Anand

Anand mustered courage and logic that politicians were too responsible for delay in conducting the game on time if it were postponed six times in the past. Political instability in Jharkhand he referred as one of the reason that hampered the game.

Loosers

Tainted president of India Olympic Association Suresh Kalmadi was asked to conclude his speech in do sabad (few words). He rose to speak but greeted with jeer for his involvment in the Commonwealth Game scam. He put a brave face and forged on to finish his unendurably listless text he had brought along.

But Kalmadi had proved himself a man of durable hide, unbothered by scam or scandal or stench. He was speaking much in the fashion of a monarch who is numbering his days but unwilling to accept it.

Governor MOH Farook ended with a contrived, and rather unedifying, flourish of his hand as he exhorted the Games to begin. It was a gesture that belonged more to a stand-up magician’s repertoire, less to a head of state.

Doordarshan

Doordarshan approached the event much in the fashion of classic PSU. Having exclusive right of telecast; it afforded to mess with it. It was really a delayed-live telecast, behind by nearly five minutes. No concept of syncing stadium lights with cameras.

Slideshow

The story of great Indian melting pot — came with sheer excess of lights, sounds, colour and variety. Anaemic and insipid it looked in the day. But when it burst and
cracked it warmed the evening turning the open sky into a flamboyant fiesta of game and gaiety with starlit and stardom rocking the stage.