With the Commonwealth Games less than three months away, there’s little else Delhi can talk about. But sadly, most of the conversation is devoted to anxiety over how we'll be able to pull this off as preparations look poorly conceived, poorly executed and severely delayed.
In fact, few people talk about the actual sporting element of the games. When a country bids for events such as these, the happy by-product beyond the obvious infrastructural upgrades is usually the fillip sports receive in the host nation.
But unless there’s a hidden movement of interest that will surface during the games, it seems unlikely there’s going to be much discussion about what these games will do for sports in India. Instead, we’re all too busy wondering whether the stadiums will even get built in time, and if India can save itself from complete humiliation in front of the world.
Last week though, the media demonstrated that its interests are somewhere else entirely. All of last week, the biggest sporting story in India was the hush-hush marriage between Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni and his 23 year old ‘secret’ girlfriend. The media was kept out, and to Dhoni’s credit, he did seem determined to not let his wedding become the ‘public tamasha’ that these things so often end up being.
But, what does all this media fuss say about a nation preparing to host one of its biggest-ever sporting events?