Hundreds of schoolchildren attired in the tricolour welcomed the Commonwealth Games 2010 to Delhi tonight at a glittering ceremony with ace singer Hariharan leading the performance.
Hariharan took the stage and rendered the song 'Swagatam' (welcome) which created an amalgamation of Hindustani and Carnatic and finally climaxed into Qawali, a form of Sufi music.
Over 1,000 children from various schools in the national capital performed a choreography, creating a formation of 'Namaste' (folded hands) as Hariharan rendered the song for over five minutes. The Namaste is the sign of welcome and respect to the honoured guests from all over the world.
One of the highlights of this performance was students' painting images of hands with 'mehandi'. As the students attired in tricolour choreographed the Namaste sign, the 40-crore aerostat welcomed the guests from abroad and various parts of the country in 23 different languages.