The BWF World Championship -- badminton's biggest event outside Olympics -- is all set to begin in Delhi from Monday, and as this reporter wandered around the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Sunday, it was all about the finishing touches. There were players trickling in to get a feel of the upgraded arena in carefully managed slots all day, volunteers and line judges getting their final briefings, organisers fine-tuning the little details. It's a big deal, after all, the best of badminton in India after 17 years for the biggest prize of them all.
The first hint of it, serendipitously, came in the taxi from the airport where the official theme song - Shor Macha Oh Dilli - played on the radio. The cab driver may not have known much about badminton, but he knew PV Sindhu. Of course.
Sindhu, the most successful Indian at the World Championships (with a joint record 5 women's singles medals), looked lively in her press conference, wearing the 'Temple', the wearable tech she has been using. Her legacy is defined by her Worlds success as much as her Olympic medals, and playing a Worlds at home feels extra special, like this could be historic, outright record making one.
"Having five medals at the Worlds, it has been an amazing journey. Where I've grown much stronger is when I lost," she said as she recounted the agonising silver medals in 2017 and 2018 before becoming world champion in 2019.
At the other end of the experience spectrum are women's doubles debutants Simran Singhi and Kavipriya Selvam, who are ecstatic and excited to play at this stage. A pairing that came together just last year and train away from the national camp, this will be their first moment under such a big spotlight and they couldn't be happier that it comes at home. For them, it's not about a medal, it's the opportunity.
For Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, meanwhile, it's all about the medal (atleast from a fan point of view). The duo, though, just want to be "as normal as possible and give it our all," as they take on the pressure of being medal favourites at home amid injury woes. They have two bronzes and want nothing more than to get that elusive gold at home, in front of fans who have always added fuel (the good kind) to their fire.
And there also was Ayush Shetty, all set to play in the biggest match of the opening round -- against world No 1 and defending champion Shi Yu Qi - and yet looking more composed than you'd expect a 21-year-old Worlds debutant to be. He was looking forward to the challenge of it all, that amazing determination of youth shining through.
It wasn't just India's players that were under scrutiny: there has been a lot of focus on India's logistical preparations after the years of player complaints on arrangements during the annual India Open and the assorted animal and bird interruptions. All that has been fixed - the windows boarded to bar pigeons, double doors to keep animals at bay, the now infamous langur mimics to keep the monkeys away are all in place. Now, whether it is right to celebrate what is a basic requirement of a sports venue is a discussion for another time, but for now the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium looks snazzy, complete with small but significant touches like a media tribune to mixed accessibility as well as neat visual elements like tri-colour lights on the large periphery of the arena.
Even Anders Antonsen, the world No 3, who has skipped three straight India Opens and copped up the consequent fine to avoid New Delhi's pollution, had good things to say about the arrangements. He declared that a winter tournament in Delhi (when the India Open is usually held) is still not something he will consider, but this week in August he is focused on the one Worlds medal missing from his resume - gold. His compatriot Mia Blichfeldt, another staunch critic of Delhi in January, also had a good word to share on Instagram about the updates.
The players drifted in and out of the mixed zone to talk to the media, about the evident drift, among other things. There was world No 1 An Se Young, with a heavily strapped and iced knee which raised questions (or hope, depending on your fandom). The 2013 champion Ratchanok Intanon greeted us with a polite "sawadeeka" (hello) and "khop khun ka" (Thank you) and talked about learning to enjoy badminton in her 30s and how seeing Sindhu play at this level motivates her to go out there and do her best. Sindhu, meanwhile, had spoken about how her hunger is the one thing that hasn't changed from her first go at the podium all the way back in 2013.
It's moments like these, before the big week begins, where players let down their guards a little and show what it all means, both the grind and potential reward. On Monday, though, the guards and focus will all be right back... it's show time on the biggest stage of all. Here's to a cracking week of badminton ahead.