NEW DELHI // India was finally able to relax and celebrate last night. The Commonwealth Games began with a dazzling opening ceremony that made Indians forget weeks of exasperation over inept preparations for an event that was supposed to show India as a sophisticated, modern country.
Just hours before the ceremony an Indian team official was taken to hospital with dengue fever. Delhi is suffering its worst outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease in four years, blamed on stagnant water from heavy monsoons. But such concerns were, at least temporarily, forgotten as a near-capacity crowd in the city's 60,000-seat Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium saw Prince Charles of Britain and the Indian president, Pratibha Patil, declare the event open, and watched a spectacular show reflecting India's diversity and history.
"India is ready. India's big moment is finally here," Suresh Kalmadi, the chief organiser, said. But in a sign of public anger at the problems, many spectators booed him when he rose to speak. He gradually teased some cheers from the crowd, saying: "Despite the bad publicity about security, health, infrastructure and heavy rains, all the Commonwealth countries have stood by India as they put on the largest-ever Commonwealth Games."
India spent an estimated $6 billion to showcase its capital, building a new airport, metro system, roads and stadiums in preparation for the Games. Ceremony highlights included a performance by the Oscar-nominated composer AR Rahman and performances dedicated to yoga and the "Great Tree of Knowledge" - all conducted under the world's largest helium balloon.
The specially designed blimp, called the Aerostat, measures 80 metres in length and offers projected images all around its surface. The organisers have called it the star attraction of the Games, although its price tag – about US$8.8 million (Dh32m) – has been a source of some controversy.
The event will have come as relief for the people of New Delhi, who have weathered years of chaotic construction, mounting delays and the embarrassment of international media reporting on the corruption and ineptitude of Indian officials.
The festivities prompted unprecedented security measures across the city. Beyond the stadium it was eerily quiet yesterday, with the government ordering every shop, business, market and mall to close amid fears of a terrorist attack.
A few neighbourhood restaurants remained open, and the ubiquitous fruit and vegetable sellers still conducted business in suburban streets. But there was a rare feeling of space on the capital's roads and the shutters were drawn at the usually bustling Sunday markets.
The Games have received threats from a number of sources. Terrorists claimed responsibility for the shooting of two Taiwanese tourists outside the Jama masjid in Old Delhi on September 19.
In an e-mail purporting to come from the Indian Mujaheddin, the group stated: "We know that preparations for the Games are at its peak; beware, we too are preparing in full swing for a great surprise."
On Friday, a Pakistani newspaper, the Daily Times, reported that a Pakistani militant group called Brigade 313 was planning an attack. It said the intelligence originated in Kabul from a German national, Ahmed Siddiqui, who was arrested recently on suspicion of involvement in plots against European targets.
The newspaper quoted an unnamed western intelligence source as saying: "We intercepted certain conversations that gave us the impression that the attack on an important sporting event is due in India."
Brigade 313 is believed to be led by Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri, a militant based in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan. Kashmiri is known to have links to numerous Pakistan-based militant groups and al Qa'eda, and may have been in contact with David Coleman Headley, a US national who scouted locations for the Mumbai attacks of November 2008.
The Indian army says there have also been numerous attempts by militants to enter India from Pakistan in recent weeks.
On Friday, it announced that eight militants and a policeman had been killed in a failed infiltration attempt in northern Kashmir. An army spokesman told reporters that a total of 42 "well armed and trained, both local and foreign terrorists, have been eliminated" in the month of September, attempting to cross the border.
While security officials have refused to comment on specific threats, New Delhi has been on high alert since last week's Jama mosque shooting.
About 85,000 armed police, 20,000 paramilitary troops, 1,500 National Security Guard commandos and 100 anti-sabotage teams are in place across the city, while helicopter snipers and unmanned aerial vehicles patrol the skies over major venues and the athletes village.
Beggars and street vendors have been cleared away from many areas and about 3,000 CCTV cameras are being permanently monitored from a headquarters in the ministry of home affairs.
Experts said that the heavy security on opening and closing days made an attack unlikely on those days.
"It is very unlikely anyone will try anything on the opening day with security so tight," said B Raman, a former senior intelligence officer turned analyst.
"But you can't have a lockup like this for the whole of the Games. An attack is more likely on subsequent days."
He said that even without an attack, the heavy security surrounding the event has demonstrated the extent of the terrorist threat to India and could provide a powerful recruiting tool for militant organisations.
"The psychological impact they create through their threats is itself an act of terrorism and it is highly effective," Mr Raman said. "The fact the government has taken all these measures – the terrorists will be able to argue that this proves their capabilities. It will impress those at the lower levels and lead to more people being recruited."
