Noida first time organises Raahgiri
Noida: For the first time, the residents of Noida celebrated Raahgiri day on Sunday. The event was organised by Noida Authority at nearly a kilometre stretch between DLF Mall Of India and the multi-level parking in Sector 18.
An euphoric sense of freedom was observed in Noidawallahs as they waited for the event to happen for long time. Thousands of people took to streets and they were given the opportunity to try a host of fun activities, like zumba, bhangra, aerobics, yoga, live music, street art, street football, cricket, skating, badminton and others.
The event was organised from 7.00 am to 10.00 am and the area was divided into different zones. People thoroughly enjoyed walking and dancing on the roads which are generally occupied by fast-moving vehicles.
Children and youngsters were seen dancing on bhangra beats and participating in zumba dance while the elderly people practiced Yoga and laughter Yoga.
The event was fully supported by RWAs and local volunteers. Rajiv Tyagi, General Manager, Noida Authority said that the main objective is to create an awareness of sustainable transport, road safety, citizen health and city development among the people. "With the participation of over a thousand citizens and support from various NGOs and volunteers, the event was a big success. We hope that a lot more people may come up and participate in the event in future" said Tyagi.
Tyagi further said that the event will be organised on every Sunday in future.
"The event will be organised from 7 am to 10 am every Sunday in the month of February while in March we will shuffle the timings to evening hours from 5 pm to 8 pm.
Suggestions from the RWAs will be taken for further planning of the event for that more people come and participate," added Tyagi. In India, Raahgiri Day first started in November 2013 in Gurgaon.
Every Sunday, a particular street or a section of a road in a locality is kept closed to cars and other automobiles in the morning while the street is open only to the public on foot and they can use it according to their will.
The citizens on that day get involved in recreational and leisure activities. With passing time, Raahgiri Day has become more elaborate and fun, offering opportunities for street dancing, live music.
