The energy and vibrancy of the youth of the region was showcased in brilliant fashion and in a true north-eastern way — dotted with glitz, glamour and technology in even measure — as the 12th South Asian Games was declared open at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, Sarusajai, here on Friday evening.
Conceived with a lot of thought and imagination and performed with precision, the 170-minute long programme was, as usual in a multi-discipline event of this magnitude, segregated into two parts, with the sports protocol taking precedence over the cultural extravaganza.
With the entry gates being closed about 90 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony for security reasons, the stadium did not draw the expected full house and this was quite a dampener to the start of an event in which 3,275 athletes and officials from all the eight countries in the region are participating.
The programme got going with the arrival of the day’s dignitaries and the chief guest, Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was welcomed with the sounding of bugles and a pleasing ovation.
The entry of the teams led by the Games mascot, Tikhor, and starting with Afghanistan and followed by Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka was also greeted with warm applause which reached a crescendo as the Indian contingent marched in. The team, with the women athletes smartly attired in turquoise blue sarees and the men in grey and blue, was led by squash ace Saurav Ghosal.
Significantly, the teams also carried water from one of the rivers from their respective countries in urns to indicate the oneness of the people of these nations bound by sport. This act jelled with the Games motto — Peace, Prosperity and Progress — and the spirit in which these Games were established way back in 1984.
Speeches by IOA president N. Ramachandran, Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister of Meghalaya Mukul Sangma and Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi preceded the formal inauguration of the Games by the Prime Minister.
In his brief speech, Mr. Modi emphasised that the Games, to him, signified three Ts — team work, togetherness and talent — and hoped that the event would bring together the people of South Asia like never before.
The sacred Games torch was thereafter brought to the stadium proudly by shooter Gagan Narang, who handed it over Monalisa Mehta-Barua (table tennis).
It then changed hands between Bhogeswar Barua (athletics), Rani Rampal (hockey), Krishna Poonia (athletics) and Anju Bobby George (athletics) before reaching star footballer Bhaichung Bhutia who digitally transferred the flame to the centre platform which touched the giant screen before reaching the giant cauldron.
This was followed by the entry of the South Asian Olympic Council flag which was hoisted alongside the flags of all the participating nations even as the Games hymn was played in the background.
Ghosal takes the oath
Ghosal, as the India captain, took the oath on behalf of the participating athletes which also marked the end of the sports protocol segment and the entry of the artistes to take centrestage.
Each segment kept the crowd engaged after it got off with the poignant memory of Assam’s legendary singer late Bhupen Hazarika with the rendering of his famous song, “Ei Prithibhi Ek Krirangan..”.
The excitement among the throng only increased as the show inched forward making it a great evening to remember.
