The other day my brother called up. “Delhi’s going to host the Winter Olympics,” he joked. But for the people who take decisions on such matters in India might quite possibly be thrilled at the idea.
And a few days later I read that Delhi would be the official host of the 2010 Men’s Hockey World Cup.
I don’t have anything against Delhi, after all I have been living here for almost half-a-decade now and have started to identify myself with the city.
But then it isn’t a nice experience to be a citizen of a single-city nation. To the outside world it would seem that there is only one city in the 32,87,263 sq km area of the country – Delhi or more specifically New Delhi.
Isn’t it already enough that the city has already hosted the first ever Asian Games in 1951 followed by the 1982 edition and now the Commonwealth Games in 2010?
In between there was some unsuccessful bids to play the hosts for yet another international sporting event. And now there are plans to bid for the biggest of them all – The Olympics in 2020.
This one-city focus isn’t found in many of the countries of the world. Honestly, I hadn’t heard of Incheon before it beat Delhi in the race to the 2014 Asian Games.
If we look at the Asian Games, South Korea got the opportunity thrice to host it and only the first (1986) was in the capital Seoul, the subsequent events went to Busan (2002) and Incheon (2014). The 2010 Asiad will be held in Guangzhou and not Beijing.
Amongst the 20 cities that have/will hosted/host the Commonwealth Games (in its different forms) only four are country capitals (and this includes Delhi). And as many as 10 of the host cities of the Olympic Games weren’t the cities where the seat of the government resided.
Such international events provide a tremendous potential to overhaul the entire infrastructure of the city. The city of Delhi has been fortunate enough to have good facilities (compared to other cities in the country), that has been augmented by the Asian Games and now the Commonwealth Games. Don’t other cities in the country deserve an opportunity to make things better for its residents? Why do we need to be concentrated only to the National Capital?
Before you point it out, Hyderabad did host the inaugural Afro-Asian Games in 2003 and the 2007 Military World Games, but they were comparatively inconsequential.
There is an India beyond the periphery of the NCR. Our media is partially blind to the fact (partially because they at least see the other metros). And to our sports administrators… get a phacoemulsification done.
And Delhi will be the place where F1 is going to be hosted in 2010.. 🙂
Good to catch up on posts that are not ads. Though I have to tell you I met up with an ardent fan of your blog because of the vintage ads right here in Mumbai.So you have been tagged. 😀
That’s a really valid point you made there. Interesting how I never looked at it that way. Going for a phacoemulsification right away! 😉
Well, India is not the only country with the one-city syndrome. Australia too doesn’t seem to think much of cities other than Sydney. So much so that many people outside the country think Sydney is the capital, because everything happens here. It was the Sydney Olympics in 2000, it was the Sydney World Youth Day last week, Sydney this, Sydney that…oh, and Sydney the other too.
<>Pallavi<>, unfortunately yes.<>Det-Res<>, just occasionally I happen to discover that there are other things happening around me besides commercials.From Educated Unemployed to Det-Res? Didn’t get it.My blog’s got a fan! Now I’m famous. Gotta rush and buy some shades.<>D<>, I cannot pronounce that word. Cataract surgery is easier to the tongue.<>Siddhima<>, at least Melbourne had an Olympics to boast of.
Determined resident, trying to bring in some positive vibes that is all.Yeah people actually know your blog. You came up in very random conversation with a person I met extremely randomly.You can try and hide Mr. They will find you. 😀
<>Determined Resident<>, that’s a good vibe to have.And I like hide and seek.