The Queen’s Baton for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, slated in Australia, arrived in Haridwar at 1 pm on Friday. The State Urban Development Minister Madan Kaushik and the city Mayor Manoj Garg were there to receive it. Among others who were present on the occasion were the District Magistrate Deepak Rawat and Ganga Sabha president Purushottam Sharma Gandhiwadi.
After traversing through major crossings of the city, it left for Dehradun in the afternoon. Several international players accompanied the Queen’s Baton.
Amidst recitation of mantra, arati (lighted butter lamps floated in the Ganga) was performed at Brahmkund for the success of the upcoming Commonwealth Games. The Baton was dipped in the holy river and the blessings of the goddess Ganga was invoked.
School children queued up along the path of the relay and waved flags with the banner and logos of the Commonwealth printed on them.
The runners-holding aloft the Baton moved through several thoroughfares like Valmiki Chowk, Shivmurti Chowk, Devpura Chowk and Chandracharya Chowk. It was then brought to Nehru Yuva Centre where denizens of the city welcomed it.
Note worthy, the 21st Commonwealth Games are slated to begin on April 5, 2018, in Australia. To propagate the upcoming games, the Queen’s Baton is now going around the Commonwealth Nations.
The district sports officer Sunil Dobhal said that the Queen’s Baton was brought at Har Ki Pauri from Jolly Grant airport and after the consecration ceremony there, the relay reached Nehru Yuva Kendra at Bhagat Singh Chowk from where the Baton left on a chopper from BHEl for Dehradun.
Keri Olga, an international player, said Uttrakhand has bewithched her with its pristine natural beauty. “I think no other State of India is as beautiful as Uttrakhand. The Baton would be taken to Delhi from Dehradun on way to Bangladesh,” she said.
The Cabinet Minister Madan Kaushik said, “The Baton reached Rishikesh yesterday after it was accorded a warm welcome in Haldwani. India personifying international brotherhood, we prayed for the success of our country and others in the Commonwealth Games.”