The Olympics, From A Spectator's Lens

What is it like watching all the Olympian action and drama unfold from the spectators' galleries at the Stade de France?
Rediff.com asked Dr Rajesh Parikh, director of medical research and neuropsychiatrist at the Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai, for his view of the Games.
Presenting a fascinating panoply of Dr Parikh's photographs from Paris.

IMAGE: The Indian contingent during the opening ceremony of the Games. All Photographs and videos: Dr Rajesh Parikh

Photography and sports have been a passion for me from the age of 10.

However, witnessing the Olympics seemed jinxed, having narrowly missed Beijing, London and Tokyo for a variety of reasons ranging from research work to the pandemic.

Hence, being in Paris has been absolutely exhilarating!

Besides, the city has been my second home, one with which I am hopelessly in love.

So, imagine my thrill when I get a combination of my three great passions! That too with the entire family of 9!

One couldn't ask for anything more, other than perhaps better weather.

Someone who has grown up in Mumbai with an unabashed love of the monsoons and of getting drenched in the first rains shouldn't complain about a moderate rainfall.

Yet even a drizzle puts a damper on a spectacular opening ceremony especially when one is on the Seine with no overhead cover to protect one's equipment.

Besides, the authorities had decided that for security reasons, lenses longer than 20 cm would be trashed (really); forcing one to leave one's tele zooms at home.

Voici un photo essay with limited equipment on the spectacular Games. I hope the pictures convey some of the thrill of Le Grand Spectacle.

IMAGE: The Bhutanese contingent at the opening ceremony.

IMAGE: The Bangladesh contingent.

IMAGE: The Canadian contingent.

IMAGE: Neeraj Chopra hurls his javelin in the the Javelin throw final. Neeraj won silver with a best throw of 89.45 meters.

IMAGE: Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem throws the javelin. He won gold in the event with an Olympic record of 92.97 metres.

IMAGE: The start of the women's 1500m race.

IMAGE: The start of the 400m hurdles.

IMAGE: The women's 1500m race.

IMAGE: Women athletes run the 3000 metres steeplechase.

IMAGE: A view of women athletes competing in the 400m hurdles.

IMAGE: Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the 1500 metres race.

IMAGE: A view of the 800 meters race.

WATCH Swimmers in action

IMAGE: The women's long jump competition in progress, here and below.

IMAGE: The men's long jump event in progress.

IMAGE: The women's high jump event in progress.

SEE the illuminated Eiffel Tower

IMAGE: India's flagbearers Manu Bhaker and P R Sreejesh at the closing ceremony.

IMAGE: The Indian contingent at the closing ceremony.

IMAGE: An acrobat in action during the closing ceremony.

IMAGE: A performance during the closing ceremony.

IMAGE: And a spectacular Games comes to an end.

THE OLYMPICS, 2024

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com

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