Visitors take medals but give hearts to Mysore

Naturally, this inevitable answer from the Mysorean elicits an `oooh’ from the participant. Wrestler Balkar Singh Chib of Jammu and Kashmir is toying with the idea of settling down in Mysore. “It is so pleasant here. I want to buy a house, preferably overlooking the Krishnaraja Sagar Reservoir and the Brindavan Gardens, and stay in Mysore. This has become my dream and I will do it,” says the young Sub-Inspector in his late 20s.

But, the participants from Delhi are more keen on knowing details about the winter in Mysore. “It is refreshing here and if this is the climate all round the year, with a cool breeze during winter rather than freezing cold, Mysore is the place we want to return. And then, there is so much to see. It is a lovely place, with its splendid palaces, boulevards and gardens,” a group of young Delhi girls giggled away.

Some paddlers from Maharashtra, experiencing the bright yet gentle summer sun of Mysore, are reminded that they are to return to the humid and sultry Mumbai soon, not to mention the big city rush. “This village and the City itself is so different from the previous games villages and cities. We are very happy and comfortable here, though, we had come with trepedition in our hearts as some Marathi newspapers had painted a bleak picture of the Village. We are so happy that they are wrong,” they asserted, before huddling with others of the contingent to draw up their sight-seeing plans. It is Bandipur or Nagarahole or a trip to nearby Ooty?

Each day has been a day of happy evenings at Hootagalli. Folk troupes performing lively dances and singing songs and popular Hindi films being screened on a giant screen have helped the participants relax after a hard day in the playing arenas. The memory of the thunder storms have been erased with everything back in order, including the giant archway.

Comparisons with the Games Village in Bangalore is inevitable for many. “We have clean drinking water and people are very hospitable here, so different from Bangalore. Though we had some problems with the food initially, the catering is good with rotis and dal and we have got used to it. Nobody has a bad stomach at all, even though both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food is being served,” asserts Balkar.

It is clear that Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi was not off the target when he said that Mysore has now emerged as a major centre for `Sports Tourism’. The participants here are unanimous that Mysore should have more and National-level sports competitions, for they can keep coming back year after year. And this, definitely, is the challenge for Mysore.