[sustran] Gurgaon wiser and fitter as Raahgiri turns 1

[Vinay Baindur]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/Gurgaon-wiser-and-fitter-as-Raahgiri-turns-1/articleshow/45171740.cmsGurgaon
wiser and fitter as Raahgiri turns 1TNN Nov 17, 2014, 03.08AM IST

GURGAON: An anniversary is always a special occasion, the first one more
so. On the corresponding Sunday last year, Raahgiri took its first
tentative steps towards a brave new world (brave, that is, for India). The
organizers were unsure whether a movement to reconquer public spaces
otherwise hogged by motor vehicles of every size and kind, would succeed in
a city whose citizens think nothing of getting into a luxury sedan to visit
a market just a kilometre away.

For many Indians in this part of the National Capital Region, a car is a
serious status symbol, and owning one helps them climb the social ladder.
Gurgaon's streets and roads are unendingly taken over by vehicles big and
small, leaving little or no space for citizens who would rather walk or
cycle to work, to the market and to school. Raahgiri was made for them, to
show that these men and women have as much right to the street and the road
as anyone else.

It was a perfect early winter's morning, the nip in the air refusing to be
budged by the warmth of the November sun. And as they have been doing so
loyally for the past 12 months, Gurgaonites showed up in their hundreds to
demonstrate support for Raahgiri. There's always a feelgood vibe to these
gatherings, for Sundays give folks in Gurgaon the chance to make the most
of those few hours when they have the road all to themselves, when these
thoroughfares are free from the menace of the motorcar.

And as on Sundays over the past year, there was the impression that nothing
was happening - but there was a lot happening, there was a method to all
the carefree-seeming activity. People were in groups, in pairs, or
contentedly solo, comfortably finding their space to indulge in whatever it
is that brings them outdoors on the seventh day of every week. Some were
lazily unhurried and unhurriedly lazy, while others were raring to get
moving, whether on their feet, on a bike - or making moves to music pumping
out of speakers.

The latest Raahgiri Sunday had the same buzz, the same energy, and the same
participatory delight, as any. It was like a film set with many excited
extras, and included the young and the old, toddlers and teenagers,
exercising at their own pace - brisk-walking or ambling, running or
jogging. And there's no generation gap on these days, because you'll
invariably find adults and children sharing the same space, occasionally
getting in each other's way but always willing to give way (can you imagine
a similar scenario on clogged intersections during rush hour?).

The many pairs of feet vied for fitness-attention with pairs of pedals.
Cycles, from aerodynamic and cutting-edge versions (with funky headgear to
boot) to the simplest of models, are the preferred mode of transport -
again, age is no bar here, for adults are riding as enthusiastically as
children. But possibly the most satisfying sight was seeing boys and girls
roller-skating or rollerblading away, in the happy knowledge that the road
does indeed belong to them - even if only for a few hours.

For the health and fitness conscious, Raahgiri is a godsend - why drive to
the gym when you have open spaces next door to sweat off the calories? And
music, too, has been a part of Gurgaon's Sundays, whether as accompaniment
to limbering-up sessions, or as an opportunity for those amongst the crowd
who'd like to shake a leg. Euphoria, the popular Indian rock band headed by
Palash Sen, provided the soundtrack to the latest Raahgiri day.

On Sunday, all were present, everyone who joined hands to start Raahgiri
and subsequently put in the work to make it a success. The star of the show
was undoubtedly Enrique Penalosa, the former mayor of Bogota
<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Bogota> (capital city of Colombia
<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Colombia>). Penalosa didn't
bother to sugarcoat bitter truths, but said that India has a chance to lead
the way when it comes to creating cities that can dismantle the motorcar's
monopoly, and give pedestrians and cyclists an influential say in urban
planning. Penalosa's vision, of a future where public spaces are made
equal, worked wonders in Bogota. There's no reason why his pragmatism,
clear thinking and bushfire wisdom can't be transplanted successfully, not
just in Gurgaon but across India.

All in all, Raahgiri has contributed generously towards giving Gurgaon back
to her residents - and on the way, adding a bit of entertainment to the
city's Sunday mornings.