It was the first time that the Commonwealth Games were held in India and the second time they were held in Asia after Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998. It was also the first time a Commonwealth Republic hosted the games, second in a country not presently headed by British monarch since Malaysia in 1998. The official mascot of the Games was "Shera" and the official song of the Games, "Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto", was composed by Academy and Grammy awardee Indian recording artist A.R. Rahman.