The Commonwealth Games 2010 are turning out to be a massive success. With a spectacularly grand opening to a tally of 18 gold medals for India till now, the entire nation is swelling up with pride at the new, clean, ‘world-class’ city of Delhi, the praise from the foreign contingents and the distinction of emerging as more than a primitive nation of snake charmers and rope tricks, truly a nation at par with the superpowers. Because there is one thing that the world’s largest democracy knows how to do, and that is pulling up their socks at the last minute and putting up a good show. Delhi was transformed practically overnight, and the Olympic Committee with Mr. Suresh Kalmadi at the head has been vindicated as being proven right after all.
As the general opinion shifts from negative fury towards the sham to praises being lavished on the turnaround, Delhi is all smiles. No one seems to remember the embarrassment of the past few months, what with its falling ceilings and snakes. Earlier, it was ‘cool’ to be openly critical of the games, now the general consensus requires us to feel proud of our City.
The public can be counted upon to have a short memory. The public outcry at Mr. Kalmadi’s betrayal has been forgotten and the focus is all on the achievements and glory. By the time the games will be over, the man who sold the country will run scot-free and in fact, with his head held high.
Although an enquiry has been promised, will that return the funds that have been embezzled by our capable Mr. Kalmadi? The contracts that were sanctioned to his relatives will not be cancelled, and the money that belonged to its taxpayers will not be returned. At the end of the day, money that could have been used to rehabilitate the poor, or perhaps provide relief to the Bhopal victims or even be contributed to the public school system was instead used to fill up the pockets of officials.
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against the CWG, nor am I un-Indian. I too am immensely impressed with how my city looks, and I’m proud of what the City has managed to achieve. I am merely commenting on the short term memory of the disgrace that threatened to destroy the reputation of our country.
The commonwealth games will benefit the city by establishing it as a global city, a place to visit. But in the temporary surge of national pride, we are forgetting our perennial problems of unemployment, illiteracy, poverty & corruption. The games will have an international impact, but the question that arises is whether that will be enough to offset the bludgeoning of the budget, new loans that will be paid back by the common man, and the overall draining of the treasury for the games.
I am happy with the commonwealth games. They are a great source of pride for me and my country. But that’s not enough to disguise the shortcomings & failures of the nation as a whole. I am a proud Indian, but not one who will forget the mess that the country still is in.
I hope that the nation will continue its winning streak even after the commonwealth games. I bow to Sheila Ji for her awesomeness, and I hope that development continues in the same streak as it has for the past six months. Instead of focusing on petty matters of religion and fundamentalism, the government needs to take a stand and finally put the country first.
With the correct leadership, the nation can stride forward, in leaps and bounds. As long as people like Suresh Kalmadi are punished, the nation can look forward to a great future as a super-power nation.
Jai Hind.
