NEW DELHI: About 1,200 moving lights, 25 stacks of speakers and about 2,700 shots of fireworks spread across the roof of the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium combined with a stage weighing 500 tonnes to create a spectacular Opening Ceremony of the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi here in Delhi yesterday.

The gigantic main stage (inspired by the mandala, a sanskrit word for the geometric designs symbolic of the universe in Hinduism and Buddhism) was one of the largest built for any opening or closing ceremony. The stage was built within seven days by about 500 workers. Weighing an approximately 500 tonnes, the stage is large enough to hold 500 people under it.

The Opening Ceremony would have never been that spectacular had it not been for the lighting arrangements. 1,200 moving lights, 120 space cannons and 16 follow spots weighing approximately 75 tonnes was what it took to enchant the about 60,000 spectators. The 25 stacks of speakers produced 500,000 watts of sound.

If one was impressed by the fireworks, it was because of the 2,700 shots spread over 88 locations on the roof of the stadium. The crowd had erupted in joy as the firecrackers went up in air heralding the beginning of the Games. The entire system was supported by over 50 kilometres of power cables that were used to provide constant power for the opening ceremony.

-PTI