Raahgiri Returns: Connaught Place Streets to Once Again Buzz with Recreational Activities

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New Delhi: The streets in and around Connaught Place will once again be abuzz with people grooving to music and participating in Zumba, yoga sessions, and other recreational activities as Raahgiri Day is set to return on Sunday, after a three-year COVID-19-induced gap. In a statement, the New Delhi Municipal Council said it was relaunching Raahgiri Day at Connaught Place from Sunday under the theme of G20 for creating sustainable and liveable cities, with a focus on sustainable mobility.

The G20 theme is a call for action to create sustainable and safer cities, and Raahgiri Day aligns perfectly with this goal, the civic body said. "NDMC is organizing the event of Raahgiri in partnership with Delhi Police, supported by the Raahgiri Foundation and Sustainable Mobility Network as the knowledge partners. Nagarro will be the CSR partner for the event," the statement said.

During the event, the streets of Connaught Place will be transformed into a car-free zone, allowing residents to participate in a range of activities, including yoga classes, Zumba, sports zones, games, music, dance, and even educational programs, on different issues such as road safety, walkability, and women safety.

Raahgiri Day is a concept that began in 2013. It is an initiative that advocates safe, accessible, and inclusive public streets wherein people can walk to nearby markets and children can walk to nearby schools, safely.

"It is a rare sight to be able to see children playing on the street nowadays, owing to our streets not being children- or even people-friendly," an NDMC official said.

"Raahgiri Day is a way to experientially show people that streets are not just made for cars, by reclaiming our streets and using them for community leisure activities. It is a day that inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent the street as a public space and as the heart of every community," he added.