[starttext]
By JONATHAN MCEVOY OLYMPICS CORRESPONDENT REPORTS FROM DELHI
Big show: The aerostat is lit up at the Jawaharlal Nehru StadiumThe XIX Commonwealth Games crawled up off the canvas last night with a display of pageantry and technical wizardry that, finally, projected the image India craved on to two billion television sets around the world.
And not a single tier of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium fell down. The bungling organisers promised it would be all right on the night, and so it proved with this sparkling opening ceremony.
Whether the Games' sporting programme, which starts this morning, will live up to yesterday's high standards, or down to the calamitous build-up, is uncertain given how late the sticking plaster was applied to grime-lined facilities of dubious structural integrity.
In the stadium - possibly 10,000 short of its 60,000 capacity - you sensed India wanted a pat on the back, and to cement their image as an emergent economic powerhouse despite the deservedly bad press they received over the last few weeks.
The theme raised a cheer whenever touched upon by the dignitaries, from Indian President Pratibha Patil down.
Flying the flag: Nathan Robertson leads the England team outStill, though, the crowds' anger at the alleged corruption and incompetence of the politicians was clear when the chairman of the Organising Committee, Suresh Kalmadi, had part of his speech drowned out by derision.
The glory went to the 7,000 performers, who top-and-tailed the athletes' parade and the speeches in a three-hour show.
The choreographers and technicians should also be applauded, with the drama unfolding around a giant balloon - the aerostat - that rose from the stadium floor to roof level.
Golden day: The stadium is lit up during the stunning displayImages depicting Indian history were projected on to it. Every strand of this diverse, friendly country was characterised in evocative tableaux.
A picture of Gandhi leading the struggle for Indian independence was inevitably part of the narrative, if a reminder of the sometimes discordant imperial story.
Watching was Prince Charles, eldest grandson of the last King-Emperor and heir apparent to the Commonwealth thrones.
A new beat: A performer plays a giant drum during the ceremonyHe was at the centre of a tricky diplomatic situation. Would he declare the Games open, as the Queen's representative?
Or would the Indian President, as head of state? It was the Prince who did the honours, after being handed the Royal Baton containing the Queen's message.
The President followed him up to the podium to add: 'Let the Games begin.' Dignity preserved.
By then, several of the English athletes, plus competitors from Scotland and the Isle of Man and elsewhere, had left the stadium to prepare for the trials that lie ahead. Good luck to them. Good luck to India.
Royal show: Prince Charles and Camilla enjoy the ceremonysource :dailymail
[endtext]
