Society 
The Olympics in London
by Rajesh Talwar
(As viewed by a hotel owner, a housewife, a commuter and a foreigner)

There were weeklong celebrations in China when Beijing was awarded the right to host the games in 2008 and today the Chinese are busy preparing for the event. All eyes will be on China for the thousands of visitors to the country and the added media focus will also affect how China is viewed as a world power.

On the other side of the world the British are already getting ready for the London Olympics even before the Chinese Olympics have been held. A website www.london2012.org has already been set up where a visitor can read about the 1908 London Olympics, view artistic impressions of the Olympic Park, find out more about the Olympic Delivery Plan, the Transport Plan and much else besides.

But how does the man on the street view the hosting of the Olympics. We asked a long term visitor to the UK, a hotel manager, a commuter and a house wife to give us their opinion as to what it would mean for them.

Says Zahir Khan, youthful manager of the Belgrave Hotel near Victoria: 'It will be good news for everyone, but of course it will mean more business for us. Most tourists prefer to stay in Central London in any case and I don't expect this to change even if the games are going to be played in stadiums near the outskirts.'

'It will be great for the kids,' says Ratna Gupta, a mother of two young boys, living near Osterly. 'They'll get the once in a time opportunity to watch so many different sports; otherwise its cricket, tennis and football all the time, isn't it?'

Tim Thompson, a daily commuter to London from the suburbs worries about train delays and congestion charges. 'They are experiencing traffic woes in Beijing in the run up to the 2008 Olympics. I don’t think London will be any different. They may extend the congestion charges to other zones as well at the time, won't they?' he muses, 'even if they abolish it the next elections, which is pretty unlikely.' He adds: 'Not that it affects me since I go by train. All the same they'll be more delays. What with all the security.'

Yves del Monaco, an international consultant who is now based in the UK says: 'It will give them the chance to introduce some special dishes,’ he says. ‘The English don't really know about certain kinds of food and this doesn’t give restaurants any incentive to introduce specialty dishes. But this will change I’m sure during the Olympics, and restaurants will prepare to cater for more sophisticated tastes. The tourists from the continent will better know how to appreciate a good pasta for instance.'

December 24 2006  

Top | Society

The Week of December 24, 2006      
Indo-Pak Peace Talks: Moving on the Wrong Track by Rajinder Puri
2006 : The Year of Indian Diaspora by Aroonim Bhuyan 
Bloody 2006: No End to Violence in 2007 by Col. Rahul K. Bhonsle
Words Meaning Changes and Misuse by Bush & Bin Laden by Gaurang Bhatt, MD
In 2006, Courts Put the Fear of Law in the High and Mighty by Rana Ajit
Can It Be The Beginning of The End of Partition? by Amulya Ganguli
A Bold Judiciary Augurs Well for the Nation by Maxwell Pereira
A Samuel Pepys of Emergency India by V. Sundaram  
Which God's Own Country by J. Ajithkumar  
Communist Turnaround : From 'Land to Tiller' to 'Land to Tatas' by Amulya Ganguli
Communalism or Affirmative Action by Ram Puniyani
Counting on People by Swapna Majumdar
A Tribute to a Poet by V. Sundaram 
Urban Floods: Bane for the People by VK Joshi
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In Quest of Space Colonization by Subra Narayan 
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Investing in Indian Real Estate: Is Your Checklist Complete? by Sandeep Donald Shah
Why is Literature Indispensable for Human Life? by TA Ramesh
Three Cheers for Thuggee Raj! by V. Sundram
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Exposing the Hidden Half by Devindra Kohli 
Porn & Mainstream Media Boundaries have become Blurred by Elsa sherin Mathews
Mothers' Help: Home Surveillance Systems by Gagandeep Kaur
Kerala's Feisty Fisherwomen by Nilanjana Biswas 
Maternal Mortality: Civil Societies Call for Action by Anil Gulati
The Olympics in London by Rajesh Talwar
  

 
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