The countdown for the opening of commonwealth games started as the drums were being played, and fireworks exploded from the roof of the stadium.

The aerostat slowly raised from the ground to the center space of the roof while a traditional Rajasthani hymn was being played by the musicians.

Various Drummers from Assam, Kerala, Manipur, Karnataka, Odisha, Punjab and Meghalaya played a symphony that aimed to be "uniquely Indian in character, yet global in appeal".

In a widely appreciated act, the children then made a mehndi – a traditional Indian art – on this large white piece of cloth in under 30 seconds on the spot.Latest News Updates Archived 28 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine Pt.

Birju Maharaj (Kathak), Guru Rajkumar Singhajit Singh-Charu Sija Mathur (Manipuri), Dr. Saroja Vaidyanathan (Bharatnatyam), Dr. Sonal Mansingh (Odissi), Bharati Shivaji (Mohiniattam) and Raja Reddy-Radha Reddy (Kuchipudi) choreographed 480 dancers bringing alive India's "Guru-Shishya Parampara" or the master-protege tradition on stage through classical dance recitals which also depicted four different seasons of India.

Academy and Grammy award winner A. R. Rahman ended the programme with his rendition of "Jiyo Utho Badho Jeeto", the theme song of the Delhi games, and "Jai Ho".

The atmosphere otherwise for the teams and officials was fine, especially when they offered warm applause to the neighbouring Pakistan squad, with whom it has tense relationships.

[44][45] It was then passed to Sushil Kumar, world champion wrestler,[44][45] who finally handed the Queen's Baton to the Prince of Wales (now Charles III).