Baton arrives, Patna brims over with joy

PATNA: "It's a matter of pride for all Indians, Biharis and me in particular, that we are a part of an event of this magnitude. It's like a dream come true. A few years back it was unthinkable that Bihar would be able to hold such an event though we have been following the Commonwealth Games for years," said secretary of sports Vivek Singh when the Queen's Baton arrived in the capital.
There was excitement all around at Rajendra Chowk near Raj Bhawan where Governor Devanand Konwar was present. Children from Kilkari Bal Bhawan sang Vande Mataram on the arrival of the Governor. While the baton was being taken through the route, 17 teams from the Bharatiya Nritya Kala Mandir performed various folk dances of the state like Jharni, Sufi, Bidesiya and Jhijiya. Vibha Sinha, assistant director of Bihar Sangeet Natak Academy said, "The students are here to depict the culture of the state and the nation."
Around 40 eminent personalities carried forward the baton from the Governor, including sports secretary, Vivek Singh; principal secretary HRD Anjani Kumar Singh; principal secretary to Governor S K Negi, principal secretary GAD Deepak Kumar; DG Bihar Sports Authority A K Seth, brigadier Ajay Yadav and Bollywood actress Neetu Chandra. It was finally stationed at the S K Memorial Hall by international kabaddi player, Rajiv Singh, two-time winner at the Asian Games.
The baton reached the hall at 6 pm. Rashmi Kumari, a carom world champion, and Madhu Kumari, an international football player, also held the baton during the event.
Deepak Kumar, principal secretary, GAD, said it's a great achievement for the nation as well as the state. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime achievement," he said.
"I am delighted and proud to be here participating in such a grand event in Patna. It signifies national and international bonding. It's time Biharis show to the nation how much talent they have. Regular holding of events of this scale will not only encourage people of our state to come forward but also educate them. The government should encourage more such events," said Neetu Chandra.
At S K Memorial hall, a cultural programme was staged. Assembly Speaker Uday Narain Chaudhary was the chief guest. Minister of sports, arts and youth affairs, Renu Devi, was also present.
From here, the baton will move to Kolkata en route to Bagdogra, north Bengal. The baton is expected to do the rounds of 70 countries and cover 20,000 km till it reaches New Delhi on October 3 for the 19th Commonwealth Games to be held there.