Baton binds Bangalore's best

Commonwealth Games: Legendary sportspersons grace the relay in a chaotic trip through the city

Legendary names of Karnataka sport including Kenneth Powell, Prakash Padukone and T Shanmugham featured in the relay as it traced a 10-km stretch starting from the Sree Kanteerava stadium after the baton reached here from Mysore at 4.15 pm.

Additional Director of QBR, Raj Kadian, handed the baton first to State Sports Minister Goolihatti Shekar to mark the beginning of the relay.

With the State Law Minister Suresh Kumar and Karnataka Olympic Association president K Govindaraj in attendance among other dignitaries, India post chief post master general (Karnataka circle) Yeshodara Menon released a special postage stamp to mark the occasion.

Shekar then gave the baton to Olympian Kenneth Powell and badminton ace Prakash Padukone and the duo jogged around the stadium. It wasn’t a pretty sight though, with lack of proper organisation leading to a chaotic situation.

Officials, organisers and volunteers mobbed Powell and Padukone, restricting their free movement but the legends carried on.

“It was a great feeling but the relay was also a total mismanagement. We couldn’t run we were walking,” said Powell showing his frustration.

“It is was great honour and a great feeling,” said Padukone, gold medallist at the 1978 Commonwealth Games.

With mascot Shera waving from the top of an open vehicle which played A R Rehman’s Games theme music in the background, the baton ventured out of the stadium through Rajaram Mohanroy Road. Footballing legend Shanmugam took over from Powell before passing it to athletics Olympian Pramila Aiyappa.

At the Lalbagh main road, it was paralympian Malathi Holla’s turn and towards the final leg of the relay at Hudson circle, former hockey players Elvera Britto, C S Poonacha, athletes Sahana Kumari, Rosakutty, swimmer Nisha Millet and hockey Olympian M P Ganesh did their part. “I have witnessed the torch relay in Sydney Olympics but I was running for the first time in a baton relay. It is a great feeling,” said Millet.

In between, youngsters had their tryst with the baton, with swimmers Gagan A P, Rohit R Havaldar and basketball players Sneha Tiwari, Sagarika and Kruthika doing the duty. “It was an amazing feeling,” said Gagan.

Two-and-a-half hours after it took off, the baton returned to the Kanteerava stadium after a trip to the Vidhana Soudha, with star athletes of the past Ashwini Nachappa and Reeth Abraham shouldering the responsibility. The baton will now move to Hasan, then to Mangalore and Karwar before entering Goa. A cultural programme was also organised at the indoor stadium.