What's common between Commonwealth Games and CR Park? - Still single in the city

What's common between Commonwealth Games and CR Park?

Sushmita Bose - Thursday, September 25, 2008 2:00 PM

I don't know how the pre-Puja weather is in Delhi -- but in Calcutta, in the good old days, much before the epidemic of global warming had been foisted on to the emergency list of concerns, there used to be that touch of chill that gently nudged you to a state of wakefulness if you happened to be an early riser. At heart, I resolutely wasn't, but had to habitually wake up to do stuff like attend school and college.

Over the last few years, while I lived in Delhi, I missed Calcutta sorely during the Durga Pujas. Even though I'd rarely taken part in the festivities (but I loved the chop-cutlet-chicken roll triumvirate), there was always that feeling that something happening was happening out there. Then, of course, I dutifully -- and expectedly -- discovered Chitto Park. I usually steered clear of the madness that went on during Those Five Days (besides, you could never find parking), but there was a feeling of warm comfort even as you sensed a slight nip in the air.

My point today is not just to wax eloquent on the Pujas. I was also thinking about the Commonwealth Games and about construction and 'preparedness'. I am in a city right now whose entire construct is based on development of the skyline. In Dubai, there's something or the other being built at any given point in the day.

A friend was telling me, en route to the awesome Mall of the Emirates, how stretches of sand have been converted to snazzy pieces of prime real estate (with accompanying entrapments).

"You see THAT, and THAT?" She was pointing at the sky-cutters (both commercial and residential) and the shopping plazas and the showrooms.

I nodded.

"Well, a couple of years ago, those used to be wasteland."

When I left Delhi on the 17th of this month, the Puja pandals were already in place in CR Park. Only a few days ago, there used to be empty parks and empty spaces; on the 15th and the 16th, two days I spent in CR Park, the wooden frames were firmly in place... the first round of coverings were complete... Work at all the pandal sites (there are quite a few of them, seven or eight, I think) had clearly been on formula one fast track.

Chitto Park is ready and raring to go to usher in the Goddess.

Why is Delhi NOT ready and raring to go as far as hosting the Commonwealth Games is concerned?

Back in India, there are special pages in newspapers and extended packages on how the Capital city is nowhere close to being prepared to stage a world event (imagine, we were even dreaming of pitching for the 2016 Olympics!). I've never fancied visiting stadiums (I'm not the sporty sort) or studying the terrible state of the Delhi roads (I can almost visualise the poor athletes getting rattled and knocked around as they can get in from the airport -- and, remember, many of them have zero-tolerance levels), but I've personally covered a very important 'preparedness' ancillary sector: hospitality. Hotel rooms were in short supply: that used to be a huge, big concern, many, many moons ago. I remember doing stories on that shortfall in 2004 and 2005. Over the next two years, I graduated to commissioning stories for my department on the same subject.

Everybody got bored of the stories because we were doing them so often -- but the shortfall still persists, the Capital's bed-and-breakfast scheme notwithstanding.

The Games are only two years away, so what's the best way to do damage control? Delhi doesn't even need to look out at Dubai to learn some lessons in infrastructure and construction: it just needs to look within, at Chittaranjan Park.

PS: Wanted to thank everyone for their fabulous comments on my earlier two posts -- haven't been able to do so personally, but I hope to sometime... soon! What's happened is wonderfully in sync with Aniruddha Dasgupta's comment: "It was a little surprising though that a person who resists the idea of even having a Net connection at home has actually taken to blogging!!" You're right dude, I am still struggling to figure out how one gets to live on Blogosphere Street in Cyberspace.

PPS: Will someone give me an update as to what's happening in CRP?

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14 Comment

From Ashish Bose

September 25, 2008 8:06 PM
Do you mean to say we hand over the Games preparations to the Puja Samitis( Puja comittees) of Delhi ? Not a bad idea & I think our Delhi CM has to think seriously on this issue specially that now Delhi's river banks are flooded after Haryana opens its food gates every time they have excess rains.The so called Games village is comming up right there & God alone can help & hope it doesn't get flooded next two years.The irony is that the Yamuna has never been dregged ( digging up for the excess soil to be removed from the bottom) with a result that every time large quantities of water is released, it floods the adjoining low lying areas.If we have deeper river it can carry much more water without damaging the banks. Sounds simple but don't know why our 'Sarkari' machinery never wakes up!

From Sushmita Bose

September 25, 2008 9:55 PM
What is remarkable is that no one seems to be charged abt the Games being Delhi's big chance to showcase itself on a global platform. A lot of Delhiites are now investing in property in the eastern side of town simply because the Games Village is being built there -- and they are hoping property prices escalate. Yet, whenever I ask people if the city is 'prepared' for 2010, they look at me disbelieving and say: 'Are you kidding me?' Why isn't anybody interested to do anything?

From Abhiroop

September 26, 2008 1:44 AM
Its funny how our minds associate feelings with the weather. I still feel like I need to study hard for my final exams every year when March starts, half a decade after the last school paper! This particular period of the year, for Bongs, is Pujo time. One can't define it. You just know it. And you have images of Pujo times - pompous pandals, everyone strutting about in new clothes and little boys in kurtas trying to look like they're used to it, everyone roaming about the streets at all sorts of ungodly hours, knowing that you can speak to any random guy in Bangla (I'm talking Delhi here), trying to put a finger on why exactly you dont hate the crowds the jostling the insane rush of cars and the utter madness - images that come to you without anyone mentioning that Durga Pujo is coming. So where were we? *grin* There's this bus I see everyday which has been saying '1000 days to go' for the last one year. Well its the government. Its only when the sarkar starts making noise about the Games will we have anyone talking about it. But we're in bally 'election mode' these days. You can't get votes for putting a 2500 crore sports event on the bill when bhindi is going at Rs 70 a kilo. So, Sheru & co can take a hike. For now. The Metro guys thankfully are right on schedule to meet their targets for 2010, and so is the Airport. But its ok. Ho jayega. Dilli hai. I dont know, DU students will rally around. Somebody will start a volunteer group with corporate blessings. Jugaad. And anyway, no one will remember anything about it in a year. We will have a dozen brand new flyovers with cracks, thats all. I just hope the opening ceremony is nice.

From ss

September 26, 2008 1:47 AM
Hi
Is this working? This line should be in bold.
This sentence should be below the last one.

From Aniruddha Dasgupta

September 26, 2008 5:28 PM
Dear Sushmita, I totally agree with your concerns regarding the sorry state of affairs related to our preparedness for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. It was quite interesting to read your blog trying to draw a parallel between organising a couple of Durga Pujas and trying to create a world class infrastructure for the Commonwealth Games. I wish it was that simple, although I sincerely share the viewpoint, which you have rightly pointed out - we should not be waiting for the last moment to get things done. The problem is not funds (plenty is pouring in the name of the games) but the same old sarkari (it includes our great ministers too) mindset where approvals take ages to come by. After having slept long enough on the several plans for the games, the responsible (?) agencies have finally started to wake up to the disaster staring at them. The horrifying part is that almost everybody seems to have woken up at the same last moment leading to major rush-hour traffic like situation where all of them are trying to reach the same destination (Commonwealth Games 2010) at the same time. As if this was not bad enough, the ensuing competition between the various agencies to lay their hands on the precious little resources available is pushing up the prices of everything in sight. The prices of materials, equipments, land have skyrocketed threatening cost overruns and further delays. To make matters worse even those lowly paid Civil Engineers (yours truly included), having successfully found a place in the endangered species category (the IT industry poached most of them), have started shamelessly haggling for better pay packets rather than improving their skill set and contributing more efficiently to the herculean task ahead of them. Situation looks quite grim doesn’t it? Well all is not bad. With ultra-modern technology and Maa Durga’s blessings we might just pull it off in time for the grand occasion!!

From Manish

September 26, 2008 6:46 PM
hey yaar i cudnt agree more with you on all this that delhi is far from ready for the commonwealth games.with only two years left there is lodz n lodz of work to be done such as half of the roads are in bad condition... n as sushmita said the bread n breakfast hotel scheme has not been so famous as it should be.For the icing on the cake the approval of many things are still pending(i read that in newspaper:)) seems they will get approved only after the CW games.. dont know when will our so called govt or the authorities will open their eyes n the proper work will start..........

From Nishant Kashyap

September 26, 2008 7:48 PM
:)...I don't need to say that you have hit the nail right on the head...unfortunately..anything which is handled by our government agencies never reaches its logical conclusion - CW games is just another episode in the long running govt sponsored "Watch how we screw things up!" soap.

From pawandeep

September 26, 2008 10:39 PM
Sushmita, it seems you have changed your style of writing. Please be your own. Serious things doesn't suit your style of writing and your personality. Please donot mind, but my advice to you is to remain the same Sushmita, for whom we would eagerly wait for the Sunday Edition of HT.

From vikas sehrawat

September 28, 2008 12:27 AM
pawandeep ,,you are right when you say that soebody has to write about the lighter side of life. but there is a limit on what a person can write about hangovers, perverted men,hassles related to singletons etc so there are valid issues regarding delhi that need to be resolved so next maybe , we can expect a article on american presidential elections...,,,something about obama,,mcCain and especially sarah palin.... please mam if you could oblige

From nithin

September 28, 2008 2:24 AM
Regarding the commonwealth games preparations i totally agree with you.When i landed here in delhi about 1.5 yrs ago they were constructiong a flyover next to munirka(iit exit gate) and one near the laxman public school near hauz khas.The funniest part is though i zoom through these areas daily i never seem to developments of any sort.The only improvements are that they are putting more barricades and jamming up the traffic.Another point that i wish to mention here is that i ha an opportunity to visit the Nehru stadium(M not sure though)which is being revamped for the CG.Believe me it looks as if an earthquake had hit the building.No space to walk around the stadium on the outside.Construction workers are there but no progress seems to be taking place.With india pitching for the successful CG and if we are not able to deliver i dont think india can even dream of hosting any international events in the future.Including the F1. But as our bureaucrats keep blaming each other we will never see the end of the flyover. P.S.-Hope everyone you care about in Delhi are doing fine after those attacks.My best wishes.

From pawandeep

September 28, 2008 12:35 PM
Vikas, it is true that one can write article on serious issues too, but what I meant was that it can be written lightly with a touch of humour , which only Sushmita can write. Anyway, I am not used to reading serious stuff from Sushmita, and because of the Blog "Still single in the city", I expected her to write about her experiences in Dubai and and perhaps comparision between the 2 cities. Too me, Sushmita has changed a lot after departing from Delhi. Maybe because she is far from Delhi, and this thing has made her a bit serious about life.

From Shipra

October 1, 2008 9:51 PM
hey got to know abt this blog recently and actually want to applaud u for figuring out hw this thing works (cant make head or foot of it myself) and i live right near cr park (kalkaji)and dutifully avoid that area during this time of the year. but i can hear the anticipation of my bengali friends building up everytime i call them. for everyone wanting to visit the pandals - best of luck!!

From Cosmic Singh

October 12, 2008 12:40 AM
Calvin: ...Yeah, but I work better under pressure. Hobbes: Actually, you work ONLY under pressure. Calvin: That way, the work time is more miserable, but there's less of it. I'm absolutely sure we'll pull through on the CWG front. Maybe.

From anilatha

October 15, 2008 10:38 AM
i think it is always better to avoid crowded places. Crowded places have become the target of terror attacks. Sometimes just rumours cause stampede resulting in loss of lives. We have to take care of ourselves. As far as CW games are concerend, two years are still there and let us think positively. Like when we travel by train to south, the train goes very late initially, sometimes come to a halt and we think we will reach late but at the last moment it increases the speed and cover it up. So let us hope that everything will fall in place finally.

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