Finally, after weeks dominated by the old India of corruption, poverty and chaos, the new "Incredible India" of diversity and cultural pride showed its face.

Will it be enough to erase the national shame of the last few weeks?

If the near-capacity crowd at Delhi's impressive new Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, October 3, was any indication the answer is an emphatic, and ecstatic, yes.

The ceremony began with a dramatic flourish as percussionists beat giant drums and red pyrotechnic flames shot into the air from the brand new Australian-constructed stadium roof.

Huge Rajasthani puppets danced under a giant balloon broadcasting pre-recorded video performances as hundreds of white and silver clad snake charmers and tribal dancers from across the country circled the stadium.

Children dressed in the tri-color red [saffron], white and green of the Indian flag and white Nehru hats [Gandhi cap] as, a tribute to the man after whom the stadium was named, waved more than 6000 athletes into the arena - the largest ever Commonwealth Games contingent.

As the previous host nation, Australia led the athletes' parade with netballer Sharelle McMahon carrying the flag ahead of a team which cut a more modern silhouette than in previous years in bold primary colored tops, grey skirts and suits.

But no one could upstage the sumptuous elegance of the Indian team in stunning brocade saris (many worn for the first time by young western-influenced athletes) and maroon and gold knee-length silk sherwani jackets.

The riotous three hour performance drew in everything from yogic spirituality, tribal culture, a spectacular golden-ribbed Buddha, a gauzy rendering of a silhouetted Gandhi and even the Indian Railways - the nation's arteries and its largest employer.

As in all good monsoon weddings there was also a satisfying bling quotient; the yoga dancers wore gold, there were sequins everywhere and even blue and white sabre-lit sitars and tablas.

But for all the talk of modern shining India, and criticism that organizers were trying to gloss over the nation's poverty, the Opening Ceremony cheerfully choreographed the chaos of daily Indian life in a pastiche of giant turbans, bangles, rickshaws, gas cylinders, fat-headed bureaucrats in VIP cars and even Rajasthani female brick carriers.

The giant aerostat balloon - infamous for having set the organizers back more than Australian 9 million dollars just in rental costs - turned out to be one of the evening highlights as the canvas for a series of stunning images which showcased India's diversity.

Despite predictions of chaos and frustration at the intense security ring around the venue thousands of middle class Indians heeded the 18-point advisory issued by the Home Ministry, arriving hours ahead of time to walk the several kilometres from the drop-off zone to the outer security perimeter.
Among the early arrivals, Ishant Shankatawari, 16, told The Australian he had travelled 10 hours by car from his Himalayan boarding school in Mussoorie to witness the biggest sporting event India has ever hosted.

"I am filled with patriotic feeling and want to support my country," the excited teenager said, adding that he was disappointed at the corruption exposed in the lead-up to the event, but believed the next generation would learn from the current leaders' errors.
"We were not well prepared, but all these things are teaching us to become perfect," he said.

"It's just 60 years since India's independence but we are already the seventh largest economy and second largest population. We have survived so many forces against us - Maoists, Pakistan and Punjabi separatists - but we did not give up."

Forgiveness was in the air last night with the crowd saving their second loudest cheer for the Pakistan team - the Muslim nation hived off from India in a bloody partition which has led to decades of enmity and three wars.

But not everyone was ready to extend the generosity to controversial Organizing Committee Chairman, Suresh Kalmadi, who received charitable applause earlier only to be jeered by some spectators during his opening speech.

"The dream was to make India a sports conscious nation," he said as he talked of the many challenges the nation faced to make the Games a reality and thanked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for stepping in to help rescue the event.

The Games are estimated to have cost more than $6 billion - 60 times the original estimate - on new and remodeled stadiums and infrastructure such as the new international airport, roads and metro system.

Kalmadi has become the face of all that went wrong in the lead-up to India's largest ever sporting event: deadline delays, safety fears, an unclean Athletes' Village and a series of disingenuous promises from an Organizing Committee which seemed, at times, unable to fulfill its task.

But last night he called on the nation to forgive all the mistakes and focus on the legacy the Games will leave the Indian capital:
"Yes our dream has come true. India's big moment has arrived. Jai Hind."

[Amanda Hodge is the South Asia correspondent for The Australian.]