Jai hold! Games song delayed for 'tweaking'

VENUES are not the only thing running late for the Delhi Commonwealth Games. Now the theme song has been delayed.

Slumdog Millionaire composer A. R. Rahman flew into Delhi for a news conference about the keenly awaited jingle yesterday but could sing only the first line: ''Oh yaaro, India bula liya'' (''Friends we have called you to India'').

''I can't give you much because we are still in progress,'' Rahman said.

The song has been approved "in principle" by a group of ministers overseeing the games but Rahman declined to release it at Monday's press conference. "The committee has approved it but we want to release it 10 days later. We are tweaking it a little to make it even more exciting," Rahman said.

But Indian TV channels described the song's delay as ''more embarrassment'' for organisers who have been plagued by unfinished venues, reports of shoddy building work and allegations of corruption.

The group of ministers is understood to have discussed the song at a three-hour meeting on Sunday. The Indian Express quoted a highly placed source saying that ''ego hassles'' within the group had contributed to the delayed release.

Rahman, who won two Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire, including best original song for Jai Ho!, will perform the Games song called Swagatham - meaning ''Welcome'' - at the opening ceremony on October 3.