Delhi still not awake
With the inauguration of the Commonwealth Games knocking right on the door there is lack of enthusiasm amongst the inhabitants of the capital.
On way to the main media center at the Pragati Maidan from the Indira Gandi International Stadium, there are little signs that the capital is going to host the Common-wealth Games. Just the one line of the road, which has been kept reserved for the vehicles carrying the athletes and officials, reminds one that Delhi is going to stage a showcase event a long time after hosting the first-ever Asian Games in 1951 and second time in 1982.
"It is always the case that some people of the city are happy while others are unhappy when a city is going to host a mega event like Commonwealth Games," said Saibal Bose, a journalist who works for Times of India.
The Indian journalist thinks that everything regarding the games were going right and there was hardly any cause for concern.
A Malaysian journalist, who covered the Common-wealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, said that Malaysia also faced such difficulties while hosting the Games for the first time in Asia, but they recovered from their shoddy conditions within a couple of days of the start.
He however thinks the success of the Delhi Common-wealth Games would depend on how fast they can provide information to the media. He believes if India can provide the results and updates as fast as the organising committee of the Doha Asian Games did in 2006, then the failure could be covered.
Pragati Maidan, a venue for large exhibitions, trade fair and conventions, is being used for the Commonwealth Games where security is very tight. Security guards were cordial to the foreign media people.
The big city hotels also had a welcoming outlook with mascot 'Shere' reading, "we are ready".
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