Melbourne stopover enroute to Delhi

BY PREETI JABBAL

The Melbourne lap of the Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay was held recently amidst tight security, some fanfare and a lot of glorious sunshine. The participants couldn’t have asked for better weather to be able to sport the QBR official shorts and T-shirts, and perform the historical run with the queen’s baton. The Delhi 2010 Queen’s Baton Relay commenced from Buckingham Palace on the October 29, 2009 and is travelling through all 71 Commonwealth nations. By the end of its journey, the baton will have traversed over 190,000 kilometers in 340 days, making the 2010 Delhi relay one of the longest in the history of the Commonwealth Games. The baton will be passed through thousands of hands making it an event of historical proportions, especially for those who were nominated to run the relay. The Victorian Institution of Sports (VIS) athletes and Indian community members appointed to be part of the Melbourne QBR were at the VIS early to prepare for the run. They were entertained by Riki-Lee Coulter. An impressive showcase of athletics, cycling, gymnastics and rowing was presented by VIS, giving everyone the opportunity to get up close with their favourite sporting personality. The baton was officially handed over to Mr. James Merlino, Victorian Minister for Sports who flagged off the relay led by Sharelle McMahon (netball) and Sahil Shekhar, Director Corporate Engagement -The Oak Tree Foundation.

It was taken over shortly by Luke Darcy (Triple M) and Prakash Sankaran, a student from the Indian International Student Advisory Centre. Travis Brooks (hockey) and Arun Sharma, Deputy Chairman Diwali Festival took over to pass it to Malcolm Kemp (hockey) and Vasan Srinivasan, President of the Federation of Indian Associations of Victoria. Erin Densham (triathlon) joined Harvin Dhillon, President of Victorian Sikhs Association while Emma Dennis (gymnastics) ran the few steps with Rohit Kumar, student from the Indian International Student Advisory Centre. The participants were cheered on by onlookers and family members.

By this time, family and friends had got quite familiar with the smooth change-overs and the shutterbugs went into frenzy. Daniel Martin (Athletics) continued the relay with Madappa Palachanda, Senior Vice President – DEC Australia followed by Jessica Gallagher (AWD Skiing) and Harish Rao, Victorian President Australia India Business Council. With her prosthetic leg on display AWD athlete Kelly Cartwright cut an inspirational figure as she ran with Manpreet Singh, SBS radio journalist. Young Sonia Brito (400 Mts hurdles) and Chandni Dhingra, two exceptionally talented Indian students ran the final lap handing the baton to Cathy Freeman and Steve Moneghetti, chef De mission Australia 2010.

At this point the crowd had increased and the paparazzi cameras went into full gear to capture the two Australian sporting stars. The baton was carried up the few steps to Federation Square where Lord Mayor Robert Doyle had organized a formal reception. He was conspicuous by his absence and was represented by Deputy Lord Mayor Susan Riley. Ms Riley officially handed the baton to the High Commissioner of India Ms Sujatha Singh. Four years after hosting a spectacular Commonwealth Games in 2006, the legacy of the games was passed on from the city of Melbourne to the next host, New Delhi.

Ms Riley spoke about how the anticipation for Delhi 2010 began from the moment Aishwarya Rai appeared at the 2006 closing ceremony with a bright sea of dancers. “Can you imagine what the opening ceremony will be in Delhi if that was the closing ceremony?” she asked. “Excitement has reached fever pitch, especially amongst the large Indian Australian population in Melbourne. I know thousands of Indian students who intend to make this almost as big a celebration as they would at home. That is the benefit of living in a multicultural city like Melbourne, we share all the celebrations,” she said.

According to Ms Riley, 2010 heralds India’s first hosting of Commonwealth Games giving it a wonderful opportunity to showcase India’s rich culture, traditions and economic strength. “If the closing ceremony in 2006 is any indication then the 2010 will be an event Commonwealth Games will never forget,” she said. “In passing on the Queen’s Baton today, Melbourne sends a message of friendship and peace to Delhi,” she remarked, as she handed the baton to the Indian High Commissioner.

Ms. Sujatha Singh described the creative process used to shape and design the baton. She pointed out the hand layered soil collected from all the states and union territories of India creating an intricate pattern on the baton that also has the Queen’s message symbolically engraved into a miniature 18ct gold leaf. Ms Singh said that the baton and the Commonwealth Games brings people together and fosters relationships and understanding.

Addressing the gathering Ms Singh said, “You have my assurance and the assurance of Team India that we will deliver to you the best Commonwealth Games ever. The Commonwealth Games in Melbourne set a very high standard and benchmark, and efforts are in place in New Delhi to meet and surpass the standards set by Melbourne in 2006.” She added, “A warm welcome awaits everybody participating or watching the Games in India. We wish the Australian team all the best, may you get as much gold as you can,” she declared amidst huge applause.

Prior to the official handover a range of Indian cultural entertainment including Bollywood dancers performed on stage from midday, entertaining crowds that had gathered at Melbourne’s iconic Federation Square. The QBR event could be deemed successful from the point of organization; however on the flip side there were not many people to attend on the afternoon of a working day and Indian community members and VIS athletes were all but forgotten once Cathy and Steve took the baton. For anyone who was waiting in anticipation to see a glimpse of all or any of the Indians that ran the relay, they were nonexistent as far as the commercial TV channels were concerned. Not very sporting, I dare say! Anyway that does not take away from the fact that we are very happy for the community members who were nominated to run the QBR relay in Melbourne. They have done us proud.