To,
Prime Minister of India
7 Race Course Road,
Chanakyapuri
New Delhi - 110021
India
Dear Mr Prime Minister,
I write you as a former citizen of India; a person who still holds India in the highest regard; a person who appreciates and treasures the culture India has given to him. Most importantly, I speak as a member of the generation of the youth of Indian origin, a generation filled with optimism and hope. It was with the same optimism and hope that I rejoiced on November 23rd, 2003 when New Delhi was announced as the winning bid for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. It was India’s chance to take centre stage, I said to myself. It was India’s chance not only to touch the sky, but to soar above it.
As the curtains came down on the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, I watched with pride as famous artists presented the customary segment extolling the virtues of the next host nation. I still recall telling my friends with a beaming smile and a sense of belongingness that the countdown to the best Commonwealth Games had begun.
Now, ten days away from the opening ceremony, my only hope is that the nation escapes from the farce that the Organising Committee has imposed on it. India has had six years to build the games infrastructure. I will not say that India has embarrassed me. It never has and never will, for I take great pride in my Indian origin. Yet I am definitely embarrassed by the way the officials, including you Sir, have handled this. On the occasion of the 63rd anniversary of Indian Independence, you announced to the nation and the world that you had taken responsibility of fixing the games. Yet, nothing has been done. You sir, are a role model to the youth of the nation. It was your landmark budget speech that set the pace of economic reform, which allowed youth such as me to dream, and then turn those dreams into reality. Yet as you stand silently on this issue, we cannot help but feel betrayed. We feel betrayed that despite having a strong cabinet and the will of the people, you have stood by and allowed corruption and cronyism to strike again at these games.
The world since 2000 has heaped praises of India. It waited with bated breath as to the success of these games. Not it waits with nervousness in the hope that the Games will not be canceled, or have the image of these games tarnished. In the eyes of the world, this debacle would put us back at least 30 years, when India was associated with exotic and esoteric beauty or reviled as a third-world nation. The real sadness of this whole saga is that while India has made progress is making progress, it is straddling that thin line between renaissance and destruction.
What is done is done. The question is, Mr. Prime Minister, what you are going to bring those responsible for this tragedy to justice.
Yours Sincerely,
A former Indian citizen.
