22:04: That's all from us. Good night!
22:02: It has been a pleasure bringing you live coverage of the CWG. Here is what Anand - part of The Hindu's CWG team - had to say about his experience:
Anand Venkateswaran -
Covering the Games live has awoken me to the thrill of contest, and the spirit of sport. I'm so much of a convert now, that even a lawn bowls finish puts me on the edge of my seat. The hockey semifinal gave me a myocardial infarction.
I thank you for this awesome opportunity. The Commonwealth Games is a grand story, and I hope we balladiers have done justice to the telling of it. You were excellent listeners, and I wish we meet again.
21:57: Glasgow, it is now your turn to carry the proud tradition of the Commonwealth Games.
It was a fairly incident free Games, and India has delivered its promise of an enjoyable Commonwealth Games.
Though most of the stars stayed away, the action was competitive.
And that's that! After a stupendous Closing Ceremony, the 19th Commonwealth Games is now over. India achieved both their goals - finishing in second place and getting to 100 medals.
21:49: Breathtaking pyrotechnics light the sky. The highlight of the day in my opinion. Boombastic!
21:47: Sonia Gandhi swaying to the tune of ' Jiyo, Utho, Badho, Jeeto ', the Games' theme song.
21:44: A stunning Sunidhi Chauhan in a black gagra choli with 'Desi Girl'
21:38: The festivities just keep going. Song and dance, some more song and dance, and then a little more song and dance.
21:35: It sounds like ' One Love' , but isn't quite. It's a Hindi ' One love '
21:34:One love by Blue now. A Usha Uthup and Shiamak Davar duet
21:32:Ab ke sawan by Shubha Mudgal. Throwback to the 90s. Old school!
21:27: Medley of Yves Larock - Rise up
21:25: Talking of songs overdone, here is another classic example. Usha Uthup sings ' We are the champions ' by Queen.
21:24: Shaimak Davar sings ' We will rock you ' by Queen. No international sporting event is complete without someone singing ' We will rock you ' at some stage. Severely overdone, methinks.
21:20: Ila Arun now..
21:17: Singers Usha Uthup, Shankar Mahadevan and others take the stage. Kick off with 'Allah ke bandhey'
21:15: The David Dixon award goes to Jamaica's Tricia Smith, the women's triple jump winner. The award goes to the best athlete of the Games, the MVP if you will.
21:07: Prince Edward, vice-patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation, declares the Games closed.
21:04: "Delhi, you have delivered a truly exceptional Games. Thank you Delhi!", says Fennell.
21:00: If you crave a more global feel, take a look at the > international stars who made an impact the the 2010 CWG.
20:59: CWG chief Mike Fennell takes to the mic.
20:57: The Scots close with a pop hit. The Proclaimers with '500 miles'. Nicely done!
20:55: Highland dance. And now we have an inflatable Loch Ness monster.
20:50: While artistes from Scotland perform, take a look at some of the >star performers from India at the 2010 CWG.
20:47: Bagpipes once again. This time to symbolize the birth of Glasgow as the new host of the CWG
20:45: "We aspire to host an outstanding Games... Thank you Delhi for hosting a wonderful Games... We welcome all of you to Glasgow for the 2014 Commonwealth Games."
20:43: "I receive the CWG flag with pride and thank the people of Delhi..," says Robert Green, with the unmistakeable Scottish accent.
20:43: The CWG flag is now handed to Robert Smith, Chairman of the Glasgow Organising Committee 2014
20:38 : Suresh Kalmadi hands over the CWG flag to Lt. Governor of Delhi, Tejendra Khanna.
20:31: "We wish Glasgow all the best".. And Kalmadi signs off. Been a tough couple of months for him, he will heave a sigh of relief that he has hosted a fairly incident free Games.
20:28: "I thank all the political parties for their help".. " I also want to praise the thousands of construction workers for their efforts".. Well deserved applause.
20:20: Suresh Kalmadi begins his speech. He thanks all the dignitaries and addresses the 'proud people of Delhi'. "The Indian contingent finished second..", speech broken by loud cheer.
20:16: Singer Shaan with the mic and mascot Shera in tow. They are riding a modifed autorickshaw decorated with lights and flowers. Hold on, did I say modified autorickshaw?
20:15:PTI has this little nugget about India's rise in the CWG -
It all started with a sole bronze in 1934 in the second edition of the Commonwealth Games, and now India has finally breached the 100—mark in the medals tally of the event in the latest edition to occupy the second position in the overall standings.
20:05 Every once in a while the Scottish flag comes back on the screen. Of course, Glasgow, Scotland, will host the 20th Commonwealth Games in 2014.
20:02 The camera again pans to the Indian contingent. Samaresh Jung, ace shooter, has the camera on the ready to shoot some pictures for his scrapbook.
19:57: And one by one, the athletes from all the countries arrive.
19:50: The England squad takes a stroll round the stadium. Camera phones and digital cameras out in full force, the athletes not letting this opportunity to get a few stunning pictures go waste.
19:47: Shooter Gagan Narang leads the Indian contingent, waving the flag.
19:45: The foreign delegations enter the stadium, one final time before they head home.
19:32: School children dance to Vande Mataram . The children are covered in orange, green and white powder, arranged to form a giant national flag.
19:31: The stadium is lit in blue, which then changes to a sharp purple. Lighting effects at its best.
19:30: Sare Jahaan Se Acha fills the air.. The crowd loves it.
19:29: The band plays ' Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja ', a song which stirs patriotic fervour.
19:26: The drummers have got the crowd involved. Spectators clap in synch with the drums.
19:23: The bagpipes stop, and the drums take over. Bagpipes and drums usually remind me of the nu-metal band Korn. But this is as far removed from Korn as you can get.
19:19: Back to more pleasant events. Bagpipes! Upbeat tunes performed by a huge band. You can't see it, but I'm breaking into my Scottish accent!
19:16: Some rather disturbing news for Indian badminton fans. Jwala Gutta, who won the doubles gold with Ashwini Ponnappa, has slammed V.K. Verma, President, Badminton Association of India, for not congratulating her after her victory. "We have got support from the government but don’t know how much (support) we have got from the association," Jwala said. Not mincing words.
19:13: We have a display of many Indian martial art forms. All performed to haunting music. Shivers down me spine.
19:09:Kalari artists are working their magic, and the show has begun!
19:06: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives to loud applause from the crowd. He is seated next to the Sri Lankan President. Alongside are Hamid Ansari and Sonia Gandhi.
19:04: Chairperson, UPA. Sonia Gandhi. Spotted.
19:03: Announcement of cash awards for victorious Indian athletes have begun.
PTI has this - The Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) will give Rs 10 lakh to every gold medalist, Rs 7.5 lakh to every silver medalist and Rs 5 lakh to every bronze medalist, an official statement said.
18:59: Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar is in the crowd too. So is Sports Minister M.S. Gill. We are making a game of this. The 'spot the VIP' contest is on, and I'm beating my colleagues hollow!
'Village News' , by the way, is a daily published by the CWG Organising Committee.
18:54: Here's some fun news. In a survey conducted among athletes at the Games Village, Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar has been voted the 'Most Popular' athlete. The survey was conducted by tabloid 'Village News'
18:50: The Nehru stadium is filled with VIPs. Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader, is in the stands.
18:47: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is here. He is the guest of honour at the ceremony. Looks crisp in a white suit.
18:46: The commentators remind us that this is the first time India has won 100 medals at the CWG. Quite a record.
18:45 : Dignitaries continue to arrive at the Nehru Stadium. We have Vice- President Hamid Ansari, who alights from a fancy white sedan.
18:41: The final day of the CWG had a couple of star guests - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur. The Prime Minister watched the hockey final where India were thrashed by Australia, and his wife chose the badminton final where Saina made history.
18:36: Saina looked a tad nervous in the first set loss, but recovered wonderfully to stage a famous win. The nation is proud of its sports hero.
18:32: This is what Saina had to say about her victory, calling the three-setter the toughest win of her career -
" It was the toughest match of my career. It was a big test for me because I have never won from a match point down.
But I am happy I could win it for my country in front of my home crowd. I am proud to have taken India to the second position in the medals tally with my gold medal win.”
18:27: So India finish second thanks to a last minute gold from Saina in badminton. Pulsating finish to India's campaign.
18:25: Returning to our discussion on the success of the Games, PTI has this report about Interpol lauding the security agencies involved -
The Interpol has commended Indian security agencies for their “collaborative” efforts with international law enforcement agencies in ensuring the security of participants and visitors flocking the national capital for the Commonwealth Games.
18:24: Irene Kosgei from Kenya presented the gold medal. A marathon winner from Kenya. What are the odds?
18:22: Before the ceremony begins, we have one last medal ceremony. Women's marathon. Who presents the medals? OC Chairman Suresh Kalmadi
18:17: So for all the naysayers, this is it, right here. Didn't think India could it off? Think again. Proved wrong.
18:15: No unparliamentary language will be tolerated at the stadium, says the announcer. Duly noted.
18:12: Shankar Mahadevan will sing the theme song of the Games, and the programme has been put together by Shyam Benegal, Bharat Bala and Prasoon Joshi
18:10: I've been told that the Closing Ceremony will be a crispier affair, not as lengthy as the Opening Ceremony.
The Jawarhar Lal Nehru stadium is lit up and we're set for the grand finale.
And we are now at the end of festivities. Welcome, one final time, to our coverage of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
