36th National Games: Glimpses from the opening ceremony

A spectacular opening ceremony, highlighting the country’s desire to emerge as a soft power in sports and Gujarat’s superb organizational skills, marked the formal inauguration of the 36th National Games at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

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The fireworks go off at Narendra Modi Stadium as the 36th National Games are launched in Ahmedabad. Photo - PTI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the crowd during the ceremony. Photo - Vijay Soneji
Mirabai Chanu - The flagbearer for Manipur during the opening ceremony. Photo - V.V. Krishnan
Performances underway at the Narendra Modi Stadium during the opening ceremony. Photo - Vijay Soneji
(L to R) Anju Bobby George, Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Mirabai Chanu, P.V. Sindhu, Narendra Modi, Neeraj Chopra, Gagan Narang, Dilip Tirkey pose at the main stage. Photo - PTI
The performances included Gujarati folk dance ‘garbha’ to the tunes of popular Hindi film songs. Photo - V.V. Krishnan
During the ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the Swarnim Gujarat Sports University to be established in Vadodara. Photo - AP
An Indian fan with a national flag before the start of the opening ceremony. Photo - Vijay Soneji
The event, a remarkable show of light and sound, was covered by 50 Doordarshan cameras. Photo - AP