Kutumb leaves a lasting impression

The 11th South Asian Games came to a grandeur end with another delectable display of light, sound, fire and water. It was a spectacle of a magnitude that has never been staged before in South Asia. It had ingredients similar to that present in the opening ceremony, but this time it concentrated totally on our own culture, heritage and the diversity of it. The technology might have needed expertise from abroad, but the spirit was truly a reflection of ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’.
This dazzling display will no doubt set a benchmark for the upcoming events in the region.
The ceremony started with march past by the athletes. Unfortunately, the Pakistan and Afghanistan teams, who left earlier on the day, missed a spectacle they would have loved to enjoy. Noted singers Rafiqul Alam, SI Tutul and Kanak Chapa rendered the farewell song of the event riding on a mobile caravan.
Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) president and Chief of Army Staff General Abdul Mubeen handed over the torch of the South Asian Games to Suresh Kalmadi, his counterpart from India where the twelfth edition of the Games will be held in 2013.
Mubeen in his speech said: “We have congregated here today to bid bye to 12 days of sporting extravaganza. It was not only a mega event of sports, but it turned out to be a big gathering of South Asian people. I thank all the participants, members of Army, Ansar and VDP, performers, media sponsors, and others who worked diligently to make this event a grand success.”
Kalmadi, president of Indian Olympic Association and Raja Randhir Singh, secretary general of Olympic Council of Asia, received the South Asian Olympic Council flag and games torch, extinguished after the closing speech.
UK-based Bangla jazz-fusion band ‘Lokkhi Tera’ performed folk songs while local models attired in the traditional clothes of the eight South Asian nations staged a brief catwalk.
Murong, Monipuri, Chakma, Tripura, Garo performers showcased their cultural heritage, one after another, as the gallery display read “Unity in diversity”.
Children, attired in bright and colourful costumes, danced tosongs by Tagore, Nazrul, Dwijendra Lal and others.
As President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Zillur Rahman officially declared the Games closed, Kutumb, the mascot for the Games, took a ballooned flight up in the sky with the background playing a melancholy tune.
The lights extinguished, started the concurrent display of aquatics, synchronised dances, laser show and fireworks.
Balls of fire were spit high up above while down below flowed the fountains of water.
A Royal Bengal Tiger trudged proudly on the hydro-screen to the huge cheer of a full-house. The songs and dances being over, started the seemingly endless fireworks. It gripped the whole audience for more than half an hour. The blitzkrieg came in all colours and sounds. The kaleidoscope of fireworks lit the gloomy night sky ever so bright and left a lasting impression on everyone present.

Courtesy of The Daily Star