Neetu Chandra carries the Commonwealth Games Torch in Patna

Spicezee Bureau

Mumbai: While Delhi is extensively preparing for the Commonwealth Games, scheduled for October 2010, actress Neetu Chandra became one of the few tinsel town celebrities to carry the Commonwealth Games Torch, popularly known as the Queen’s Baton, in her hometown Patna this week. So what got Neetu this privilege? As per sources, it’s Neetu’s association with sports that made her a front-runner for holding the torch. Apart from being a regular basketball player, the actress is a Black Belt 2nd Dan, having participated in various martial arts tournaments at a district, national, as well as international level. Talking about her experience, Neetu said, “The Commonwealth Games promote international integration, so it was a huge honour for me to sprint with the torch. I got goose bumps in excitement. The Queen’s Baton felt like a ‘power baton’ and gave me a different kind of high. It was a mix of pride and responsibility.” As for the Queen’s Baton, the relay began when the baton, which contains Queen Elizabeth II`s message to the athletes, left Buckingham Palace on 29 October 2009. The baton reached India last month, through Wagah Border from Pakistan. Currently in Bihar, it is headed to West Bengal next. It will arrive at the 2010 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony on October 3, 2010, having visited the other 70 nations of the Commonwealth and traveling throughout India, reaching millions of people to join in the celebrations for the Games.