Insane traffic, chaos and pollution are a given in our cities. While building mega cities we’ve not only pushed out our natural habitat, but have also boxed our lives in the four walls of our homes and/or offices. Raahgiri is a refreshing weekly event that aims to reclaim the streets in our lives as social hubs. It is a day for us to reconnect with our community and the outdoors in a meaningful and lasting manner.
Streets belong to the people first.
For 4-5 hours, a safe and open environment is created by the city administration and the police for people of all ages to converge.
The word “raahgiri” brings together two ideas. First – Raah – A path or way, which contains, a sense of self-discovery and transformation, a journey towards a final goal. At its heart, the initiative is a drive to promote a car-free lifestyle that is beneficial to the people and to the environment. It is glance at what life can be if we act more responsibly towards our streets and respect safety regulations.
The movement was conceived and is trademarked with The Raahgiri Foundation, consisting of representatives from five organisations- EMBARQ India, I Am Gurgaon, Padalyatri, Heritage School Gurgaon, Duplays Gurgaon.
Raahgiri Day was part of the key recommendation to Gurgaon city officials by the students of The Heritage School, Gurgaon based on their study – “How Bike Friendly is Gurgaon”. The streets identified for RaahGiri Day were cordoned off to motorized transport encouraging children and adults of Gurgaon to come with their families walking, cycling or even skating; to partake in community leisure activities such as street games, street dancing; to learn yoga, aerobics and zumba in the quest for a fit community; and to come together as a community and celebrate life
The program was led and organised by Gurgaon administrators- Police Commissioner Shri Alok Mittal, Deputy Commissioner – Shri Shekhar Vidyarthi and Ms. Bharati Arora – Joint Commissioner Traffic, along with Schools, RWAs, NGOs, Industry Associations, Active Recreation groups and Active Citizens. The events were held between 06:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon on all Sundays.
The end goal is to have pedestrian and cycling friendly infrastructure laid over the entire city and to have safer roads for all. Gurgaon was the first city which experienced it, but the active participation from citizens, authorities, and media together made the movement successful and was adopted by more than 70 other cities, in 18 States, within 4.5 years.
Doers & Believers
