This Sunday, the 30th of January, the district administration, Municipal Corporation of Gurugram and Raahgiri Foundation hosted their second E-Raahgiri Day event. About 2000 attended the online event.
The event was hosted to keep the vital conversation around road safety and air pollution issues alive and promote physical and mental health during these challenging times. Raahgiri Foundation decided to organise an online platform hosting similar activities to physical Raahgiri Day that people can participate in from the comfort of their own homes was the best way to meet these objectives.
Two renowned speakers and subject experts addressed the gathering. The first speaker was IPS officer Pankaj Nain, who connected to the participants on one of the critical issues plaguing the city: its road safety. He spoke about the effect it has had on athletes and appealed to the youth to join hands to make streets safer for all road users, especially pedestrians and cyclists.
Making India proud
Sumit Antil, a Paralympic gold medalist and recipient of the Padam Shri and Khel Ratna award, motivated the listeners by sharing details about his incredible hard work and conviction that sparked his journey.
Sumit Antil lost his left leg below the knee in a bike crash at the age of 17 in 2015. He turned his career from being a wrestler to an award-winning Paralympian in javelin thrower. He clinched India’s second gold in Tokyo Paralympics by winning the men’s javelin F64 event with a world record throw of 68.55 metres, a record-breaking performance. Hailing from Sonepat, the young athlete won the participants’ hearts at Raahgiri.
“It is important that we have organisations like Raahgiri Foundation that promote physical activity and make sure that road safety is an issue that people are constantly made aware of and educated on.”, said Sumit Antil. Together we can save lives.
“Many mishaps and collisions on the roads lead to serious injury and fatalities. I sincerely urge people to follow road rules and not indulge in road rage of any kind. Some accidents cause permanent damages affecting careers and lives. To save your life and others on the road, please follow traffic rules,’’ urged Pankaj Nain.
The event was hosted on zoom with five breakout rooms. Health and fitness room – hosted a Zumba session, an online Yoga session by Sarv Samridhi, and a fitness activity by Mihika Gupta. Creative Corner Room was about painting and slogan writing competitions for children. The third room dedicated to quizzes and Games infused a lot of interest among children.
In the Dialogue and Discussion room, speakers and experts gave a talk on road safety importance and concerns about rising pollution: Ruchi Varma and Dr Sarika Verma, speakers of the day, connected with the participants. The open mic room was available to participants who wanted to sing or dance. The event saw participation from all around Haryana, including Delhi NCR, and even further.
Support association
DPS School Gurugram, Warrior moms, SUBURB, Kalagram Gurugram, Bal Vatika School Fateh bad, Sri Ram International School, HumanQind, Avanti School of Performing arts, The Dance Institute of India, Rayan International, Wheeling Happiness, Agrasar, Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd, MissionHealthy with Mihika and Teens of God. Knowledge Partners WRI India and Nagarro.
