If culture was the USP of the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, celebration will be the trademark of the closing ceremony here on Thursday.
“The closing ceremony will be youthful and energetic with a stress on contemporariness and celebration. Athletes from 71 countries have stayed with us for nearly two weeks and they have become like family and it is time to bid farewell to them. The Games should end on a celebratory note,” Games creative head Mr. Bharat Bala said.
“While 38 cameras on the ground will be covering the event, helicopter coverage too will be provided for the closing ceremony. The duration of the event will be from 7 to 9-30 p.m. and about 60,000 people are expected to attend,” he added.
The opening event will be an Indian martial arts ceremony titled “Agni” in which 800 performers from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Manipur, Gujarat, Punjab, Maharashtra and Nagaland will display their skills in an eight-minute act. In a tribute to the country, over 2,000 schoolchildren will perform to the tunes of music maestro A.R. Rahman's composition Vande Mataram. However, the artiste will not be present at the ceremony.
As the next edition of the Games is to be held at Glasgow, Scotland, 400 performers from Scotland will perform a 10-minute Scottish cultural act.
The 30-minute segment titled the “Universal Music of Love” which is being touted as the highlight of the show will see Sufi, folk, Indipop and world music performances. Renowned artistes such as Kailash Kher, Taufiq Qureshi, Sukhwinder Singh, Shiamak Davar, Shubha Mudgal, Shankar Mahadevan, Ila Arun and Shaan will regale the crowds with popular foot-tapping numbers. As part of this segment, 1000 dancers will groove to the musicians' rhythms.
A definite feast for the eyes will be the high-tech laser show by the Germany-based firm Tarm Laser Technologies which will showcase a splendid array of lights and special effects such as sea waves and graphics with beams to light up the sky. The firm had also organised a laser show for the FIFA World Cup. Also on the cards is the performance of the Games theme song.
The aerostat which beamed numerous colourful images at the opening ceremony will be an integral part of the proceedings of the closing ceremony. The aerostat will be donning a new festive look with elaborate decorations. Film director Shyam Benegal and lyricist Prasoon Joshi have also been involved in the conception of the programme.
