Breathtaking CWG Opening Ceremony - Live Commentary

Amazing opening ceremony in progress at the CWG - adrenalin pumping beats escalating to a crescendo, the jugalbandi led by child prodigy Keshav on the tabla, giant mehndi-laden hands magically appearing onto satin white sheets to the tune of Hariharan's Swagatam.. giant puppets gently swaying to the beats...

Keep watching! This is just the beginning.

The more formal part of the ceremony has now begun... Australia, the host of the last games, now coming on the field, leading the various contingents from the commonwealth countries. Some never heard names too - Guernsey, for example. UK is responsible for defending it, but it's not part of the UK!

I for India skipped. Guess the hosts come last.

Very smart and pretty Delhites carrying the placards... more of India's finest on display :)

Have you heard of a game called Lawn Bowl? Apparently, the CWG is the only event where they are played on such an international scale. When we were kids in Goa, we played "gaddyani" - the rules seem to be similar, the gadde were much smaller though :)

Another new country for me - Nauru. Pakistan gets a huge applause. Now St Vincent and the Grenadines. No, not two, they are one country :) Here comes Tonga, still very much a kingdom. Interestingly, Tonga never got formally colonized. Now Turk and Caicos Islands. Total population - 36000! Vanuatu now coming on the field.

And now the 60000 spectators (almost twice the population of Turk and Caicos Islands... lol... ) rise up with a roar - it's India! Abhinav Bindra, India's Olympic Gold Medallist carrying the proud flag. The girls look splendid in their red and maroon sarees, the guys princely in their sherwanis. Hundreds of tricolors fluttering proudly. India is aiming for the second overall spot in the medals tally, with a target of 100 medals. A standing ovation from everyone in the stadium.

The heat (literally) making President Pratibha Patil take out her kerchief to dab her forehead :)

Back into another commercial break (while I have my dinner...)

Sursh Kalmadi now takes the mike - to cheers and boos :) Long list of names in his opening statement - Sheila Dixit gets huge applause - that lady is very popular! Kalmadi talking about India's rise as a super power - again met by large applause. Interestingly, he also gives credit to Vajpayee for supporting the bid during the BJP government. And I have to hand this to him - sensing the mood of the people, he's thankfully kept it very short.

Fennel speaking now, I am focussing on finishing off my chicken.

Manmohan Singh now welcomes the participants - to loud applause. And I have finished my dinner.

The Queen's Baton arrives - carried by Vijendra Singh, our star boxer, who hands it to Mary Kom, his female compatriot. The baton is a technological wonder - recording audio-visuals as it moves, receiving messages and SMSes, keeping a log of all its travels over almost 2 lakh km. Baton is now being passed from one sportsman to another, till it is handed to Prince Charles...

The prince now reads the Queen's message... and the games have been declared open, with "I declare the games open"! There was some confusion and controversy about who should open the games - with the Queen not attending, some wanted India's President to do the honours. Finally, it was decided that Prince Charles would do it on the Queen's behalf.

Hopefully, the last of the speeches now... by our very own President Patil. And not to be left out, she says "let the games begin"! And this time, there're fireworks too :)

Another commercial break - need some action now. We have had enough of the formal ceremony. Siddhesh says, let the entertainment begin!

Military band plays while flags of all the participating nations are brought into the stadium in a colorful parade. A very elaborate, formal act of raising the commonwealth flag now, complete with marching soldiers and playing of the bugle. Now the oath ceremony, led by Abhinav Bindra...

We are back to the entertainment - the Tree of Knowledge segment, starting with Buddhish chants, and then blossoming into a wonderful arts and culture show showcasing the best of India. A wonderful Bodhi tree created in the center, the trunk rising from the ground through shimmering curtains, the huge Aerostat blimp in the center rendering the colorful foliage. A treat for the senses. Absolutely vibrant colors.

I believe for the first time, the ceremony is also being shot and transmitted in true HD across the world.

Meanwhile, the 12-day CWG event would spur India's economic growth by around $4,940 million in the next four years and create close to 24.7 lakh jobs, says the Games Organising Committee in a report.

On to Yoga now, another spectacular segment culminating with a huge rendering of the Buddha emerging from the center.

A journey through India... it just gets better and better! A huge train pulls in... made of gigantic bangles.... leading a glorious parade. Cycle shops, coolies, a tribute to India's common man. Chaiyya chaiyya on the train. AB posters. Politicians with their loud speakers. And how can auto-rickshaws be far behind? And the dabbawallahs of Mumbai. Masala chai! Along with folk dances and folk songs. A rich kaleidoscope of the common man's life in India.

Doordarshan starting to irritate the hell out of me now - incessant breaks robbing us of some excellent stuff :( Right in the middle of the program, too.

Wonderful tribute to Gandhiji now, as the Dandi March is "painted" by fingers in sand on a lighted panel, projected on the Aerostat for all to see.

As the folk dances culminate in another crescendo of sound and lights, fireworks light up the sky, and the field...

And now, performing the theme song of the CWG 2010, A.R.Rehman! And now, we have Jai Ho! The stadium absolutely erupting in frenzy...!

And that's it ladies and gentlemen, the doomsdayers and the naysayers, the pessimists and the no-men, India has proved, once again, what we are capable of. It has truly been a big, fat Indian wedding, and Kalmadi or not, India has arrived!!!

Proud to be Indian!