The Commonwealth, for those readers not part of it, is a collection of 54 countries based largely around the former British Empire, ranging from tiny Pacific islands to the vast population of India. In Commonwealth Games terms, we, as in the UK, compete as four teams representing the constituent nations of the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It gets even more complicated when other parts of the UK are entitled to teams in their own right, such as the three-legged Manx-men of the Isle of Man and Guernsey.
There are 71 teams competing in the 2010 Games, made up of nations and territories from every corner of the globe. I like the opening ceremony when the teams appear and you see the names of places you rarely see anywhere, with their athletes marching proudly. Favourites today were The Cook Islands wearing their crowns of exotic flowers and the team from Papua New Guinnea in their colourful shirts. It was nice to hear the roar of welcome in the stadium for the team from Pakistan.
The ceremony was spectacular, illustrating the culture of the ancient country of India and it's multitude of different indigenous peoples, from the cold of the Himalayas to the balmy Indian Ocean. Song, dance, colour and spectacle were the order of the day. I liked the yogic section, demonstrating some impossible yoga positions, and the 'journey through India' section heading off with a train and followed by the chaos of Indian transport. I loved it.
The ceremony ended with A.R. Rahman and his official theme song for the games, 'Let's Go', with its mighty glitter-stomp bangra beat seguing into 'Jai Ho' from 'Slumdog', and pretty damn good it is too.
I travelled around the north of India, including Delhi, back in the '90s and loved it. I have fond memories of the place, travelling from Delhi to Varanasi (or Benares if you like), especially the railway stations and trains, where everyone wanted to talk and find out about my family unto the 19th generation, the children walking through carriages selling food and drinks, and the optician who was desperately interested in my glasses. I would love to go back and travel by train between Chennai and Mumbai (Madras to Bombay) - maybe one day.
So, namaste to my bretheren from around the world in Delhi and, as Her Excellency the President said, let the Games begin....
And here are a few photos shamelessly stolen from Getty Images (I love the giant train made from bangles):
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