The Commonwealth Games kicked off last night with the sort of spectacle that India is known for. An opening ceremony is about pomp and pageantry and that’s something we can do as well as anyone else, if not better.
A successful Games could mean that what has taken place in the last few months will fade from public memory. But has it been worth all the aggravation? If nothing else, the world is now painfully aware of India’s shortcomings—the corruption, lack of standards, poor leadership. Although that doesn’t seem to have dissuaded the overseas funds piling enthusiastically into the equity market.
For now, everyone’s clear that Indians need to be on their best behaviour until 14 October’s closing ceremony. It’s what will come after that—how we deal with the long list of things that need to be fixed—which will be the true test of the nation’s ability to overcome its weaknesses.
