Delhi Diary

Code of conduct for Us. What about Them, then ?

christine — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:18:53 +0000

Quick announcement. This update is coming to you from Joburg, courtesy of Anjulie who is manning the scissors and the scanner back in Delhi for me.

Right, so our behavioural rules have been set out. No food, no drink & we must sit in our appointed seat. That all sounds simple enough. But what about Them ? Are we going to get a great Opening Ceremony ? Will the balloon work ? Will it even fit in the stadium ?

And if this is it, on the rules front, I am happy ‘cos that means I [...]

Click to continue reading Code of conduct for Us. What about Them, then ?

Dreaming of Africa

christine — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:36:40 +0000

What is it about imminent departures that seemingly stimulates the hassle factor ?

We leave for South Africa tomorrow, so today has obviously been One of Those Days : my car insurance has run out (a fact discovered when Hari was “challaned” – though luckily the cops didn’t also fine him for expired insurance) + the new pump that sends the water up to roof tanks has gone kaput. It is hot & sticky & mosquito-y & we have had loads of power cuts & I have just found silverfish in my closet, so all in all, I really [...]

Click to continue reading Dreaming of Africa

Er. May I have my money back, please ?

christine — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:57:50 +0000

I was so chuffed when my 4 x expensive tickets for the Opening Ceremony arrived last week.

Now I am not so sure.

What on earth is happening here, other than total and utter meltdown ?

I blogged earlier today about the Rs 70 crore bill for the balloon for the Opening Ceremony. Which said balloon is completely weather dependent. And there is no Plan B – or at least there wasn’t last week.

So now “grandeur” is out & “feasibility” is in. And that is the producer talking. This sounds distinctly ominous to me. I [...]

Click to continue reading Er. May I have my money back, please ?

“Battling the weather blues” is putting it mildly

christine — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:20:43 +0000

Yes, it has rained a lot these last few weeks. (And very nice it has been, too). Yes, it has rained more than usual for late August – early September. Yes, the monsoon has gone on longer than normal. Yes, yes, yes.

But for these jokers to blame everything on the rain is outrageous. If they hadn’t missed every single deadline, then the rains wouldn’t have been an issue. If things had been finished when they should have been – ie months ago – the rain would simply not have been a factor.

As it is, it has now [...]

Click to continue reading “Battling the weather blues” is putting it mildly

Camping is life-threatening. You have been warned

christine — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:54:31 +0000

Today’s Daft Commonwealth Games Story award goes to this bizarre little story.

And am I the only person slightly alarmed by the casualness of the penultimate paragraph ?

That’s one heck of an expensive balloon

christine — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:33:31 +0000

Have I understood this right ?

The super-duper balloon for the opening ceremony costs Rs 40 crore, which means that what the article describes as “paraphernalia” costs Rs 30 crore ?

Rs 30 crore for winches & cables & a platform ?

What are they made of ?

Solid gold ?

I really and truly am trying to be upbeat about these Games – I have bought expensive tickets for this very opening ceremony, remember, but there are limits. However “eyeball catching” the opening ceremony may be – this is still an obscene amount of money.

[...]

Click to continue reading That’s one heck of an expensive balloon

An eventful Monday. Rainy but eventful

christine — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:15:42 +0000

There is one thing to be said about life here - there is never, ever anything such as a routine, dull day in India.

Well, not for people as privileged as we are, obviously. If you have to eke out a living it must be appalling here. But you know what I mean.

Take today for instance.

A rainy Monday. (And boy, did it rain. Someone clearly isn’t listening to Sheila-ji’s prayers)

I went for my last physio session before my African trip, at Back 2 Fitness in Malviya Nagar. And look what I spied, just before I turned [...]

Click to continue reading An eventful Monday. Rainy but eventful

How to avoid CWG road blues

christine — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 11:50:19 +0000

Now here is a genuinely fun bit of Games news.

I have to confess that I didn’t know anything about this Ring railway, but it all sounds delightful, and even convenient, given that Vasant Vihar is (sadly) off the metro network. And if they introduce steam trains (oh joy) I for one will travel up and down, and round about Delhi all through the Games, having huge fun into the bargain. Imagine Palace-on-Wheeling it into Safdarjung. How posh would that be ?

Final word today - well, it’s a cartoon actually :

[...]

Click to continue reading How to avoid CWG road blues

At last, some plain speaking

christine — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 11:15:57 +0000

I sat and watched Karan Thapar’s interview on CNN-IBN last night with rapt attention (and not just because Karan is a Dosco) but because for the first time – or so I feel – we had some plain, honest dialogue about the upcoming Commonwealth Games. Mike Hooper, who is the CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation spoke frankly to Karan, and after all the buck-passing we have had here, it made a refreshing change.

The interview was fascinating – morbidly fascinating – as Mr.Hooper spelled out all the things that still need to be done, but one thing was [...]

Click to continue reading At last, some plain speaking

A sad weekend of farewells

christine — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 15:34:40 +0000

In keeping with the grey, damp weather, it has been a rather sad weekend of farewells, never the nicest of things at the best of times.

On Friday we said a last farewell to our New Zealand friends Kerry Greig and David Hair, who are heading back to Wellington. Thank goodness it’s not to Christchurch, after the earthquake.

And then yesterday, it was time to say goodbye to one of my dearest friends in Delhi, Eden, though her party was such huge fun there wasn’t time to feel melancholy for a moment. Great Moroccan food, fabulous music, and everyone [...]

Click to continue reading A sad weekend of farewells