CWG gets off to breathtaking start: The biggest sporting spectacle India has ever hosted kicked off in typically colourful fashion on Sunday night (Oct 3rd 2010) when the 19th Commonwealth Games was officially declared open at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.
Click Here For the Videos of the Opening Ceremony >>
About 60,000 people filled Nehru Stadium for the opening ceremony, which featured 7,000 performers from all over India, many of them schoolchildren. It depicted 5,000 years of India's cultural history in a pageant of music, light and dance.
"I am delighted to declare the Games open," said Britain's Prince Charles, who was greeted with chants of "India! India!" before he read out a message from his mother Queen Elizabeth, the head of the Commonwealth.
A plethora of musical instruments enthralled a capacity crowd at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in New Delhi as the grand opening ceremony was able to showcase what India is good at on the night - putting on a show full of rich culture and tradition.
India has always been a land of rich musical heritage and the opening ceremony, which had a number of cultural programmes, saw some traditional and unique musical instruments from different parts of the country.
The ceremony was heralded in a traditional Indian way by the blowing of a conch or 'shankh', considered auspicious for the start of any event.
Next was the 'Dung Chen', a long trumpet or horn used in Tibetan Buddhist ceremonies and one of the oldest instruments dating back to 1500 BC.
The Dung Chen players along with the conch blowers set the tone for the evening as the famous 'Nagada' players also joined them to mesmerise the spectators.
'Nagada', a percussion instrument that resembles the kettle drums of the old Naubat -- traditional ensemble of nine instruments, along with the two wind instruments, provided the background score.
This was followed by the aerostat, filled with 20,000 cubic metres of helium gas, rising dramatically to its full height to the thunderous applause of the spectators in a dimly-lit stadium.
The 'Pung', a unique Manipuri hand-beaten drum, then enthralled the audience with the Pung cholom, where the dancers twirl and jump mid-air, culminating into a thunderous climax.
As the Pung Cholom subsided, the audience were kept spellbound by another traditional form of drum called Chenda, a cylindrical percussion famous for its loud and rigid sounds.
120 Chenda drummers took to the stage and soon two tribal drummers - Bihu and Gudum Baja -- came out from under the stage on to the field of play.
Soon, two more unique musical instruments - Gaja Dhol and Wangala - were played as the drummers entered from under the stage as others formed choreographic patterns on the field to provide a memorable evening to the spectators at the 60,000 capacity stadium.
Australia led the teams into this impressive stadium while England came out resplendent in Kurta outfits - loose red shirts over white trousers - which were made to measure from an Indian company such were Commonwealth Games England’s coffers and lack of sponsorship.
Nevertheless, it is medals that are now on chef de mission Craig Hunter’s mind and Nathan Robertson, England’s flag bearer, will be one of those in the running for gold in the badminton event while the clash of the week will be in the pool against Australia.
India, of course, were saved to last. Led out by Olympic gold medalist shooter Abhinav Bindra, their entrance sent the stadium into a Sachin Tendulkar-like frenzy before Kalmadi said that “India’s moment is finally here. India is ready”.
The other segments during the evening included the Tree of Knowledge, Yoga and the Great Indian Journey. Bollywood, of course, played its part in the ceremony as did the major attraction of the event - a huge aerostat with video projections and graphics displayed on the screen
Find here: Commonwealth Games 2010 Opening Ceremony Photos, Picturesof Commonwealth Games 2010 Opening Ceremony, Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2010 photogallery, opening ceremony of CWG 2010 images,pics,gallery, CWG Opening Ceremony photos,CWG Opening Ceremony pics,CWG Opening Ceremony stills,CWG Opening Ceremony photos,CWG Opening Ceremony images.CWG Opening Ceremony gallery,CWG Opening Ceremony pictures,CWG 2010 Opening Ceremony/opening day, CWG opening function image Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan singh, prathiba patil
Click Here For the Videos of the Opening Ceremony >>
About 60,000 people filled Nehru Stadium for the opening ceremony, which featured 7,000 performers from all over India, many of them schoolchildren. It depicted 5,000 years of India's cultural history in a pageant of music, light and dance.
Pictures from the Commonwealth Games 2010 Opening Ceremony in New Delhi, India
"I am delighted to declare the Games open," said Britain's Prince Charles, who was greeted with chants of "India! India!" before he read out a message from his mother Queen Elizabeth, the head of the Commonwealth.
A plethora of musical instruments enthralled a capacity crowd at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in New Delhi as the grand opening ceremony was able to showcase what India is good at on the night - putting on a show full of rich culture and tradition.
India has always been a land of rich musical heritage and the opening ceremony, which had a number of cultural programmes, saw some traditional and unique musical instruments from different parts of the country.
The ceremony was heralded in a traditional Indian way by the blowing of a conch or 'shankh', considered auspicious for the start of any event.
Next was the 'Dung Chen', a long trumpet or horn used in Tibetan Buddhist ceremonies and one of the oldest instruments dating back to 1500 BC.
The Dung Chen players along with the conch blowers set the tone for the evening as the famous 'Nagada' players also joined them to mesmerise the spectators.
'Nagada', a percussion instrument that resembles the kettle drums of the old Naubat -- traditional ensemble of nine instruments, along with the two wind instruments, provided the background score.
This was followed by the aerostat, filled with 20,000 cubic metres of helium gas, rising dramatically to its full height to the thunderous applause of the spectators in a dimly-lit stadium.
The 'Pung', a unique Manipuri hand-beaten drum, then enthralled the audience with the Pung cholom, where the dancers twirl and jump mid-air, culminating into a thunderous climax.
As the Pung Cholom subsided, the audience were kept spellbound by another traditional form of drum called Chenda, a cylindrical percussion famous for its loud and rigid sounds.
120 Chenda drummers took to the stage and soon two tribal drummers - Bihu and Gudum Baja -- came out from under the stage on to the field of play.
Soon, two more unique musical instruments - Gaja Dhol and Wangala - were played as the drummers entered from under the stage as others formed choreographic patterns on the field to provide a memorable evening to the spectators at the 60,000 capacity stadium.
Australia led the teams into this impressive stadium while England came out resplendent in Kurta outfits - loose red shirts over white trousers - which were made to measure from an Indian company such were Commonwealth Games England’s coffers and lack of sponsorship.
Nevertheless, it is medals that are now on chef de mission Craig Hunter’s mind and Nathan Robertson, England’s flag bearer, will be one of those in the running for gold in the badminton event while the clash of the week will be in the pool against Australia.
India, of course, were saved to last. Led out by Olympic gold medalist shooter Abhinav Bindra, their entrance sent the stadium into a Sachin Tendulkar-like frenzy before Kalmadi said that “India’s moment is finally here. India is ready”.
The other segments during the evening included the Tree of Knowledge, Yoga and the Great Indian Journey. Bollywood, of course, played its part in the ceremony as did the major attraction of the event - a huge aerostat with video projections and graphics displayed on the screen
Find here: Commonwealth Games 2010 Opening Ceremony Photos, Picturesof Commonwealth Games 2010 Opening Ceremony, Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2010 photogallery, opening ceremony of CWG 2010 images,pics,gallery, CWG Opening Ceremony photos,CWG Opening Ceremony pics,CWG Opening Ceremony stills,CWG Opening Ceremony photos,CWG Opening Ceremony images.CWG Opening Ceremony gallery,CWG Opening Ceremony pictures,CWG 2010 Opening Ceremony/opening day, CWG opening function image Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan singh, prathiba patil
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