Noida reclaims the streets on a chilly Sunday morning, courtesy Raahgiri

Josh was high for Noidawallahs this Sunday morning when the Noida Authority organized Raahgiri in Sector 18. One portion of the road in front of the multi-level parking (MLP) in the sector was cordoned off by the Noida Traffic Police, where residents were seen cycling, working out, dancing and even lifting tyres! The event started with a band performance by the Central Reserve Police Force, who played patriotic songs like 'Saare Jahan Se Acha'.
School students performed a street play on voting rights

‘How’s the josh?’ ask Noida Authority officials
Taking a cue from the recent film URI-The Surgical Strike, Noida Authority officials asked the audience, ‘how’s the josh?’, eliciting a ‘high sir!’ from Noidawallahs. “With the weather being so chilly in the morning, I was not so sure how many people would turn up for the event. But we are glad that so many people turned up with so much energy and josh,” said Rajiv Tyagi, General Manager, Noida Authority, adding, “I have been getting requests from people all over Noida asking us to organise the event in their area. After three Sundays here, we will move to other sectors in March.”



‘Feel a sense of freedom here’
A number of residents at the event said that they had not heard of the concept of Raahgiri earlier and reclaiming the streets was super exciting. “Our activities are always restricted to the boundary of our residential complexes. After I got to know about this event, I decided to bring my family along to see what it is all about. It is a great initiative as it gives us a chance to reclaim the streets,” said Apoorva, a resident of Sector 22 who had come with her two-year-old child.

The CRPF band played patriotic songs at the event

Making friends
There was a variety of activities at the event. While the sports zone saw people playing cricket, badminton and football, the fitness zone had people trying out different kinds of workouts. “I am meeting a lot of like-minded people here who also enjoy fitness like me. The Raahgiri event has become a platform for me to forge new friendships here, since I shifted to Noida just last year and don't know many people. I have made a few friends while participating in a fitness challenge organized here and have decided to meet them at every event from now on,” said Vikas Rastogi, a resident of Sector 44.