Locals in Bhopal celebrate Raahgiri Day at Upper Lake

Running in its sixth week, it was yet another amazing start to the Sunday at Raahgiri Day, where it was all naach-gaana, Raahgirs clicking pictures and cyclists and skaters moving around Upper Lake.
This time around, the Raahgirs danced to the beats of zumba, holding saplings in their hand and vowing to plant one sapling each in their homes, to promote green environment.With more than 6,400 new registrations for Raahgiri Day, the venue was jam-packed with a crowd turnout of more than 25,000 who stepped out of their homes this Sunday morning.
Bhopal-based actress Divyanka Tripathi’s parents, Narendra and Neelam Tripathi, were also in the list of attendees at this Raahgiri Day. Narendra Tripathi said, “Yeh mera first time tha Raahgiri mein, aur kehna padega, mera experience behad shaandar raha! The best part was seeing the elderly people participate, apart from the youngsters. Maine kabhi nahi socha tha ki hamari umar ke log bhi shaamil hongey itne josh se. These days, people hardly step out of their house to socialize, but stepping out and socializing with strangers, yeh dekh ke bahut achha laga. Main aur meri wife aagey bhi is silsiley ko jaari rakhna chaahenge aur ab toh har Sunday yahan kaayde se aayenge!”
Akshat Verma, a freelancer web developer, who works in Bangalore and was home for the Diwali break, attended the Raahgiri this sunday. He shared, “This was my second visit to Raahgiri, and it was a good experience. However, after the first time, I never thought the momentum would sustain. I never expected that Bhopal can look like this, people making a conscious effort to step out of their homes at 6 in the morning to spend time with strangers and indulging in fitness and other activities. The crowd is at its peak only till the parking zone area. I think there should be more activity stalls to keep the people engaged, till the end of the lake area.”
Now Muneer, 23, an MBA student, shared, “This is the first time that I’ve attended Raahgiri Day with friends, and I must say, it’s amazing to see the huge participation of youngsters, who no longer wake up late on Sundays. My experience was fantastic! However, I came late, around 7am, and so couldn’t get a chance to register and participate in zumba. But from next time onwards I am going to make sure that I am here on time and participate in the maximum number of activities. I am eagerly looking forward to the next Raahgiri Day”.