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SHIFTING IMAGES

Big Ben chimes for the Olympics!
NOW that the curtain has fallen on the 2012 London Olympiad, it's time to relive those moments of excitement, disappointment, tears and cheers that we shared with the athletes. A time when we straddled across national rivalries as Russian gymnasts gracefully hugged their US counterparts, Chinese and
British divers exchanged pleasantries and a Cuban Olympic hero made a cameo appearance on US TV! I am somewhat saddened because it's back to the grind of the "real world." The civil war in Syria, the plight of refugees from Northeast India and Myanmar, the racist shootings in the Oak Creek Sikh Gurdwara ... these have once again become part of the daily diet served by the media!
The British need to be congratulated on a well-organised Olympic Games. Now is not the time to debate whether the costs equaled the benefits — let's just agree with Games Chief Lord Coe: "When our time came - Britain, we did it right." Yes, you did!
The opening ceremony, directed by Danny Boyle (of Slumdog Millionaire fame), was well conceptualised and choreographed. The best part was its cheeky British humour, climaxing with a stunt of the Queen parachuting at the celebrations with James Bond (Daniel Craig). Although the Queen herself appeared to be somewhat under the weather, the act created a great effect! The show kicked off with a verse from Shakespeare -- the immortal bard who has provided the English language its body and soul and the world much fodder for thought. What followed was a presentation of British history (with no mention of the colonial past, though) moving seamlessly from pastoral Britain to the industrial revolution, the modern era of social media and an impressive finale by Sir Paul McCartney crooning "Let it be.”
If there is one area where Boyle can be criticised it's that the opening was in essence a British affair with British innuendos, showcasing British achievements. It lacked universal appeal although the Olympics are an international event. For once I was thankful for my "English medium" schooling; otherwise I would not have known the difference between Mary Poppins and the Queen of Hearts! And, had I not been familiar with Mr. Bean, I would have guessed that his interludes were the result of a technical hitch in the live orchestra performance of "Chariots of Fire"!
The British press posted high ratings for the show with The Guardian declaring: "Boyle's opening ceremony was the equal of Beijing and more." Honestly, I am a little tired of a segment of the media trying to prove that the Chinese have been outperformed. Why can't we admit that the Chinese Olympic opening ceremony was a spectacular event, combining artistic excellence with technological mastery, which has so far been unmatched? And let's also stop the highhanded rhetoric on how the Chinese could pull it off because they are more regimented compared to the rest of us who have a higher level of democratic freedom! I think it's a mark of poor sportsmanship -- and the Olympics are all about being a good sport, right?
Those of us who happened to watch the events from the United States were somewhat shortchanged. The exclusive NBC coverage was preponderantly focused on American athletes and events dominated by them. Many important gymnastic and track and field competitions were not shown. Instead, we were subjected to hours of Beach Volleyball with bikini-clad women shoving the ball to and fro in a contrived sand court and no beach in sight! Disappointingly, we also missed Akram Khan's dance segment honouring the 7/7 terror victims of London because an interview with Michael Phelps was aired at that time. Obviously patriotism triumphed over artistic expression!
The coverage notwithstanding, there were some beautiful moments: Michael Phelps making history with his 22nd medal, 16-year old Gabby Douglass hugging her coach after winning the gold for all-round women's gymnastics, Usain Bolt's record breaking sprint and antics, Oscar Pistorius running the 4x400m relay with his steel legs.
My Olympic moment, however, was David Rudisha breaking the world record for the men's 800m run. The Kenyan Massai, trained by an Irish missionary with no Olympic experience, literally emerged from a "dirt track." For me, Rudisha's victory encapsulated the indomitable spirit of the Games! It also shattered the myth that developing countries cannot make it to the medal podium because they are resource-strapped. May be it's time to be introspective and ask: is it a question of resources alone or do these countries suffer from an overall lack of organisation, discipline and determination — ingredients necessary for success in sports? But then, this is a discussion that warrants a separate column!
The writer is a renowned Rabindra Sangeet exponent and a former Employee of the World Bank.