- 2018 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup declared open with glittering opening ceremony in Bhubaneswar.
- AR Rahman, Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit headline star-studded night at Kalinga Stadium as 14th edition of HWC kicks off.
- Hosting a Hockey WC after eight years, India hope to end a wait of 43 years for a title. The hosts face South Africa in their opener on Wednesday.
'Jai India': Let The Games Begin
The last song, though, is the official song and tune of HWC 2018 – ‘Jai India’, a collaborated effort of Rahman and Gulzar.
The colours of the tricolour adorn the Kalinga Stadium, which has turned into a sea of saffron, white and green.
A closing vote of thanks follows from the host for the night, Gaurav Kapur. And that’s that!
It brings us to the end of our continuous coverage here at The Quint too. Thank you for your company as we witnessed the start of the year’s biggest sporting event in India.
The games have only just begun; India open their campaign with a clash against South Africa at 7 pm IST. Be sure to join us through the next 19 days, as we bring you an extensive coverage of the 2018 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup.
As SRK would say: Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost...
'Vande Mataram', 'Jai Ho'
The musical maestro chooses two of his most befitting songs to take the evening towards the finish line.
Music Maestro Regales Kalinga
Two-time Grammy Award winner. Two-time Academy Award winner.
A BAFTA. A Golden Globe.
Six national awards. Fifteen Filmfare awards.
One genius.
I know, you didn’t need an introduction. But since I can’t plug you in to the actual performance...
The Final Act: AR Rahman
We did hear right. Host Gaurav Kapur begins the vote of thanks to the team behind the glittering extravaganza at the Kalinga.
There’s Shiamak Davar (choreographer), Nupur Mahajan (creator of ‘The Earth Song’).
More thanks go to a host of others involved in making the night what it was.
And what a close they have. The man who needs no introduction: AR Rahman.