The eleventh week of the second edition of Happy Streets at Scheme Road in Race Course on Sunday was nothing short of a carnival. With a range of events from fitness and martial arts demonstrations to cycle rallies, parai aattam and music performances, Happy Streets attracted throngs of students and families alike.
Before the events began, around 120 students of Kumaraguru College of Technology reached the venue on bicycles. They rode the 12km from the college campus to Scheme Road as part of the college's 'Circle of Fitness' campaign, said Nishanth Sivaswamy a representative from the college.
The day started with an introductory session on Tai Chi, Chinese martial art form focussing on slow body movements. Sudha Sundaram from Nithya Gurukulam, who gave a presentation on the art, said Tai Chi was a holistic art, which focuses on physical, emotional and intellectual growth of an individual. "It has both slow movements and breathing techniques. The exercises work on tendons, muscles and ligaments. It also works on energy and consciousness," she added.
C Subramaniam, a Karate trainer, who has an experience of around 40 years, held a session on basic karate moves and self-defence techniques. With eight of his students on stage, he demonstrated how to defend oneself in times of adversity and attack. "In Karate training, one has to train for at least two hours a day. This makes one mentally strong, which reflects in one's body," said Subramaniam. He said women must learn the martial
The day's highlight was a parai aattam performance by members of the group Aayudham Kalaigalin Sangamam. The group of MSW graduates, which performs parai and street plays to take across awareness messages, also holds parai training sessions. Around ten members of the group performed rustic and lively beats of the traditional drum to which students and families alike broke into dance.
Following the folk beats of parai, a band from Kumaraguru College of Technology performed soulful tunes from Tamil movies. The band members performed all-time favourites of A R Rahman such as 'New York Nagaram' and 'Aathangarai Marame', which enthralled the people who had gathered at the venue.
The day also had a Zumba session and cycling and other games.
