Wasn't respect ever on the menu?

So, as the last week before the Commonwealth Games began in Delhi,

the last leg of its humiliation also commenced.

The internet was flushed with images - inboxes, Facebook walls, news portals.

No, not of Suresh Kalmadi, though i shudder to think why he'd come to mind.

These pictures were of the 'villages' constructed, quoted by many as uninhabitable.

And so, the media enjoyed doing what they do best - to sensationalize.

Various anchors dispensing their views, officials of many countries reasoning why their teams

shouldn't bother visiting, Indian officials - adamantly, when reachable, on why they still should,

college students on why this was so typically Indian.

But amid all the furore, one voice stood out.
The voice of Mr. Lalit Bhanot, the spokesperson, who steps up to the plate, and stuns the world

with what he has to say. And I quote, "Westerners have a different sense of hygiene from ours."

He went on to say much more, but more on that later.

"Why would he generalize?" people asked. But I don't think it's as much about generalizing as it is about saying the first thing that came to his mind to placate the issue. Question is, why did the first thing that came to his mind involve shaming the country even more?

 

I mean, is the only thing we're trying to gain out of the games, revenue? And tourists? Because that's somehow supposed to explain the 30,000 crore spent (that's 77 missions to the moon if you must know).People went on to say things like India could never compare to Beijing. All of which was forgotten after the spectacle caused by the opening ceremony.

The questions that I'd like to ask:

Why can't India get rid of its corrupt politicians, who shame not only themselves, but also the rest of the country?

Does a country with people dying of hunger really need a 40 crore helium balloon?

Do Indians deserve the Commonwealth - and before you raise an eyebrow, I'll raise a question - How many days did you follow it?