The rest is of course--- Hissss-story

Some suggestions to recover from the recent insults:

May be Mallika Sherawat should walk the red carpet in CWG 2010 - like she did in Cannes with snakes all over her– some positive would come out of it.. all this snake spotiing can be camouflaged by calling it a promotional activity for her latest ‘international’ film – hissss! Wink, wink.

Or why not have the Wildlife SOS team in cultural outfits (aka Amrish Puri in Nagina..) Spot a snake? And you just won an exclusive show of the “SnakeCharmers of India” . Congratulations on winning the “Incredible India” experience.. Goes well with the ‘land of snake charmers’ image that we have fought O-so-hard against.

Funny, eh?

The sarcasm is a result of both – embarrassment and anger. Some say it is media that has unnecessarily highlighted just the negatives. Others say that the under preparedness of the venue exposes the deep-rooted corruption and inefficiencies of the system. I don’t know which one is right. But the fact remains, that it definitely doesn’t show India in the right light.I am bothered - not as a sportsman, not even as a spectator, but as an Indian.

It took years for India to come out of the image of being “the land of snake charmers and elephant rides” – the brand India that globalization created, gave her a launch pad to showcase its many nuances that were hidden by the stereotypical halo. And yet, almost 2 decades after we opened ourselves to the foreign markets, here we are not able to host foreigners. Why foreigners? Even I as an Indian, would refuse to step into a hotel with damp flooring or leaky ceilings.. Why me? Would any of the babus sit in the parliament, if a snake would show up?

I am picturing the Funnnn that would get caught on cameras of DD LOK SABHA Channel – and surely someone will call it Oppoition ki Chaal . And Aajtak will be the first to cover it.. hamesha, sabse aage.

The Snake is more than a pun.. It is a rude a shock to the unassuming tourist athletes. It is an insult to the largest democracy. It is a slap on the faces of us Indians, who trust our leaders to do their jobs well. And what do they have to say - Kalmadi has famously quoted that he is responsible for the games, and not for the infra-structure. He deserves a medal for the art of of separating the two, nonchalantly.

Let’s take a minute and talk about the media. Media, journalists (or even bloggers like me) thrive on negative criticism – fun to write, fun to read. But that shouldn’t be all we do. We must, when required push the envelope and spread the good word as well. So this is in appreciation of the many friends and networks on Facebook who are sharing unseen pictures of the Commonwealth games – pictures of architechtural genius, the brand new stadium that’s now (apparently) complete.

What was an ambitious attempt that started with a bollywood dance by celebrities in the closing ceremony at the last games, is now like watching the famous folk rope walk being performed by some impoverished skinny female, wearing an arguably presentable costume.. Every step she takes increases the heartbeat, the pots on her focused head relies on a thin chance of balance. She must take those last few steps carefully, else no one will ever return to her. I pray, pray, pray, she finishes with grace. For she is now, India.