Although for millions of Indians visiting London is not even a remote possibility, everyone here with access to a television, radio or newspaper will have been aware, however vaguely, of the 2012 Olympic Games going on in a city far away. It may have been difficult for many to comprehend the exhilaration of the 16 days’ events without access to satellite transmissions, but at least they will have followed the highs and lows of their country’s athletes.
Some commentators have claimed that the Games may mark a turning point for Indian participation, with its athletes bringing home a 100 per cent increase in medals, admittedly from a low base, compared to Bejing.
There have been wonderful examples of individual heroism and triumph. My own favourite was the battling Mary Kom, who was born into a comparatively poor family in North East India, but has risen to claim a Bronze medal in the first ever womens’ boxing event.
Kom’s victory has even got the sittings rooms of middle class Mumbaikers exchanging notes knowledgeably about the finer details of boxing, which was probably a sport they had never even watched before!
The steely cool of rapid fire marksman Gagan Narang brought India its first medal of the Games, and the country’s many accomplished badminton players were delighted by the young, focused Saina Nehwal’s achievements in securing an Olympic medal.
Before the London Games there had been speculation – as there was before the Sydney Games, with which I was involved – that queues at airports would become nightmarish (as regrettably they had been for a time in the Spring) or traffic would grind to a halt. Security scares were also frequent. In the event these predictions proved false, and both the Indian media and the business community have been the first to praise the delivery of the Games in such an efficient and dazzling manner.
Before the end of the Games, the popular British Business Group and the Deputy High Commission in Mumbai arranged events to celebrate their success. BBG members were able to view highlights of the opening ceremony, and at a reception sponsored by British Airways one of India’s top businessmen, Mr S Ramadorai, Vice Chairman of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), one of India’s and the world’s largest IT service providers, gave a fascinating account of his own London 2012 experience.
Mr Ramadorai described how from landing at Heathrow to clearing immigration took him an unprecedented and painless 20 minutes or less, and travelling to and from the Games using the Javelin train was a similarly rapid experience.
He was also one of the Indian representatives who met our Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, and attended the Global Investment Conference and a separate seminar, both arranged by UKTI, on education and skills – for which Mr Ramadorai was a key participant as Adviser (with the rank of Cabinet Minister) for the Indian Prime Minister’s National Skill Development Council. Both conferences, said Mr Ramadorai, provided some helpful insights into UK and international investment and education developments.
Mr Ramadorai was one of some 60 Indian senior industrialists, one of the largest groups from overseas, who with encouragement from our UKTI team here took part in business events around the Olympics. Their attendance at the Olympics, and the financial support Indian companies are starting to provide athletes, is a sure sign that come Rio the Indian mark on the Olympics will be bigger than ever.
But before then both our countries will be engaged in another epic sporting event, with the England cricket team heading to Mumbai in late October for a four match Test Series and 50 over and 20/20 competitions. India will be keen to get their revenge for their loss in the last series in England. As in London we hope to attract the Indian business community to one or more events marking what should be a memorable sporting series and our growing business ties.