On My Radar: India’s Delphic Games Movement Picks Up

As the countdown for Tokyo Olympics has started, the revival of the ancient global Delphic Games movement in India has picked up speed. The Delphic Games’ headquarters is in Geneva. While Olympics are for international competitions for physical sports, the Delphic Games are for global competition for different forms of Musical Arts, Performing arts, visual arts, Literature, Social Arts, Communications, Ecological Arts and Architecture. Delhi-based Bijender Goel (55), known for introducing earthquake onsite early warning technology in South Asia, has been nominated as the Founding President of the Indian Delphic Council (INDC). Goel is also Advisor of the South Asian Affairs of the International Delphic Council (IDC). He has earlier been the Special Representative (Minister of State), Jharkhand. The history of the Delphic Games traces its roots back to Delphi in Greece 2,500 years ago “as the twin-sister of the Olympic Games.”The modern-era Delphic Games were revived in 1994– 100 years after the reintroduction of the Olympic Games. Since revival, the Delphic Games have been hosted in Georgia, Russia, Malaysia, South Korea, Philippines, Germany and South Africa while Delphic Summits, Delphic Art Wall initiatives and other festivals of cultural significance have been organised elsewhere in the world. India has participated in three editions of the Delphic Games abroad and won Gold and Silver medals in South Korea. Goel said, “We are planning to take the Delphic movement to artists, art lovers, various stakeholders and government bodies by promoting all the arts categories through festivals and events.” As the South Asian head, Goel has started the process of the formation National Delphic Councils in seven SAARC region nations. “In India, we have formed Delphic Councils in 22 states and hope to cover the entire country soon,” said Goel. “Once the Covid-19 pandemic is over,” Goel said, “we will plan the national Delphic Games in a big way and participate in the Delphic global event later.”

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh is quite amused over many young party leaders being “accepted” by the BJP whom it had always scorned for being “privileged”. “When these people are in Congress, the BJP criticises them but then it takes them too,” said Ramesh talking to a TV channel. “Youngsters who have left us are privileged by birth. They got good positions by the party,” Ramesh said days after key GenNext leader, Jitin Prasada, left for the BJP. “But for every Jyotiraditya Scindia and Prasada who left, there are thousands of young Congress workers who are fighting for the party…despite the fact that we are not in power at the Centre.” Told that young Congress leader Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan is another “flight risk” after his rebellion last year against Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Ramesh said, “Pilot is a great asset to the Congress. there is a great future ahead of him in the party.”

At a time when the Centre is facing criticism for going ahead amid Covid-19 pandemic with the huge Central Vista project that also includes a new Parliament House building, New Delhi has committed itself to finance the new Parliament building in Africa’s smallest country, Eswatini, with the Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) extending a line of credit of $108.28 million. Earlier known as Swaziland, Eswatini is a landlocked country in Southern Africa and has Mozambique and South Africa as its neighbours. A line of credit agreement for this was signed between the General Manager of Exim Bank Nirmit Ved and the Finance Minister of Eswatini, Neal H. Rijkenberg. India is also involved in financing of new Parliament in Burundi’s national capital Gitega and two Ministerial buildings in Bujumbura, the country’s largest city and main port. In the past, India was involved in the construction of the Parliament building of Afghanistan as well. The building was inaugurated in 2015 by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and PM Narendra Modi. A total of 211 Line of Credits amounting to $12.85 billion have been extended to African countries in various infrastructure projects by India. The Exim bank specifically has extended 272 Lines of Credit, covering 62 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the CIS with credit commitments of around $26.84 billion.