Commonwealth Games update (my last on preparations)

It has begun. And all the newspapers that were worried about whether there will be a games  or not changed their tine in just 24 hours... cautiously though. I guess that is what freedom of media is all about... the freedom to be wrong, to be reckless in declarations making perceptions of all consumers wrong and not even apologize for it. People in my field have standards and standard making bodies IEEE, IET, BIS and others for any product we sell or use, it makes sense that the fidelity of intrepetation going public via brokers like the newspapers and television be tested against some standards as well. Another time...


The games have started with the fanfare expected. Newspapers reporting all the festive glory as a victory of Delhi... on the first page. Inside stories show a different picture, providing dual nature of information in a single day. It is reported that security is so 'tight'  that even VVIP's relatives and some VIPs had a tough time getting through the arrangements sometimes when they were duly athorised but lacked red tape at that moment. The 'emergency' situation continues in many places, for example, Preet Vihar residents were almost quarantined behind barricades, not allowed to use any but public transport. Most of the strategic roads are now certainly healthy, made and remade at least a couple of times in a single week... one wonders why they were under construction for so many months if they were to be completed at such at eleventh hour at short a notice ? My leading hypothesis being to drive the construction costs up... same things done in short duration tender are expensive.


The public transport again reminds one of the 'emergency' situation. All private buses have been removed from the roads under the pretext that they are run over-crowded and wouldn't look nice to our 'international guests'. The public, i am told, must travel in metro and in government's vehicles instead. I couldn't follow how removing buses from the roads to solve over-crowding within the buses doesn't look like a mathematical impossibility to anyone. It is probably good that visitors haven't turned up in as great numbers as estimated before the planning and yes it is also a good thing that schools, colleges and shops in many of the famous markets of Delhi have been closed down.


The most ludicrous situation is for the pedestrian. Delhi has never been a pedestrian-friendly but things are actually worse now after the constructions are finally over. In Delhi, at some places walkers only cross the road after walking miles, if they choose to follow the traffic rules. The zebra paints are simply gone. So walkers just cross the road at strategic places, timing their crossing carefully in between motor traffic gaps. Now, to give the city a healthy look the side-walks of important roads have been fenced temporarily and shoddily... although one cannot see that from inside a motor vehicle. As perhaps a sick joke, many of the gaps provided in the metal fence have been provided where the zebras are still not there and probably were never there in the entire history of Delhi... jay-walking, by the way, is a crime for which people get fined (practically, not theoritically) if caught on some very important road. 


Doordarshan, the government television network is the only one braodcasting the games live. It mostly shows empty stands and India unsurprisingly winning silver and bronze in every second event. From outside the subcontinent, only depleted teams have turned up. I am told apart from the opening ceremony, only swimming events sold all tickets... a hypothesis i overheard : we love seeing some skin although we are stingy in showing it.


Even though India is being applauded momentarily, and people are anticipating an olympic bid from here, it would be a grander mistake and a further demonstration that between false pride and history, former wins.


P.S.(7/10/10 the rest was typed before today):> The zebras have finally been painted, but, not unexpectedly, at some places they do not connect the gap between the fencing.