A dazzling laser show and a musical extravaganza last night marked thefinale of the 19th Commonwealth Games, the biggest sporting eventhosted by India. Skies over the national capital lit with multi-colourlaser beams and fireworks as part of the closing ceremony at theJawarharlal Nehru stadium filled to capacity of 60,000 cheering sportslovers.Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were Vice PresidentHamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President SoniaGandhi, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Commonwealth GamesFederation President Michael Fennell.Prince Edward, patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation, formallydeclared the Games closed amid thunderous cheers from the audience.The next Games will be held at Glascow, Scotland.Not a single seat was vacant at the stadium and the crowd nearlybrought down the house the moment Indian rifle shooter Gagan Narangentered the infield holding the national flag. In a mixed formation,the athletes of 71 nations entered the infield together as one bigcontingent, signifying bond and friendships formed during the Games.With four golds, Narang emerged as the best Indian athlete. The crowdcheered and gave Narang a standing ovation for his remarkableperformance in the mega event.Saina Nehwal, who won the singles badminton title earlier during theday, accompanied Narang during the flag's march-past. Athletesmarch-past followed as the biggest Indian contingent danced injubilation while entering the arena.India's medal haul of 38 Gold, 27 Silver and 36 Bronze is the bestever harvest for the country in the Games' history. India climbed tothe record high second position with Australia occupying the top slot.The closing ceremony began with the Indian national anthem. There wasmuch excitement and euphoria in store when a tribute was paid to theIndia's sporting spirit, aptly titled Agni — a segment that featuredthe fiery and passionate tradition of the country's martial arts.Chants of Agni shloka preceded eight martial art forms –Kalaripayattu, Naga warriors, Thangta, Gatka, Silambam, Akhara, DhanPatta, Talwar Raas — that enthralled the audience as skies lit upwith dazzling fireworks.Fourteen military bands, 17 pipes and drums of various regiments andbatallions of the Indian Army performed in unison as pigeons were setfree.Dressed in white, 2010 Delhi school children paid tribute to themotherland performing to the tunes of Vande Mataram as they tookpositions to form rangoli pattern and Ashoka chakra on the field.The official mascot of the Games, Shera, was given an emotionalfarewell as he went around the stadium accompanied by singer Shaan.Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi in his speech said theGames have given a new beginning to Indian sports.The Commonwealth Games Federation President, Michael Fennell,presented the David Dixon Award Jamaican triple jumper gold medallistTrecia Smith. Named after the former secretary of the CGF, the awardinstituted in 2002 is given to the outstanding athlete of each of theCommonwealth Games based on their performance.In his address at the closing ceremony, Mr Fennell described the DelhiGames as truly exceptional. He said, security, transport and otherservices have been ofhighest quality. The venues were world class and it was a trulyoutstanding show by the athletes.A 30-minute segment titled 'Music of Universal Love' featuringrenowned Indian singers and musicians mesmerized the crowd in thefinal leg of the ceremony.Musicians Taufique Qureshi, dhol players Kamal Sabri, Niladri Kumar,Bikram Ghosh, Sivamani and Raghav Sachar performed in the event.There was also further entertainment from singers Kailash Kher, ZilaKhan, Sukhwinder, Ila Arun, Usha Uthup, Shiamak Davar, ShankarMahadevan, Shubha Mudgal, Sunidhi Chauhan and Sreeram who belted outsome Indian chart bursters.