From cycle rallies to yoga sessions, cricket to skating, dance performances by transgenders, stunts by experts, etc. made the Janpath here lively on the third Rahagiri Day on Sunday.
The day was celebrated in the State capital’s Janpath area, from Master Canteen Square to Ram Mandir Square.
The celebrations began with cake cutting and congratulating each other for the capital city topping the Smart City list among 20 cities across the country.
Vehicles were restricted from 6.30 am to 10:30 am in the area, which also witnessed several activities by denizens irrespective of age groups playing rock music, painting, dancing and jogging, etc.
Dance performances by a group of transgenders were the centre of attraction at the event. They kept themselves occupied in singing and dancing. Dance performances of physically-challenged dancers Harihar and Sukant Behera’s were also crowd pullers.
With the theme Gandhigiri, the Odisha Khadi and Village Industries Board organised an exhibition, showcasing spinning of Khadi by rural women artisans by eight-spindle Charakha.
“People should know how Gandhigiri is still relevant to our society and we should go back to Swadeshi and village life. We are demonstrating the spinning here so that people can know about Khadi,” said OKGB Chairman Tejeswar Parida.
Students from different city schools organised campaigns to create awareness about cleanliness, anti-liquor campaign and environmental issues, etc,, in the street event.
After the name of Bhubaneswar was announced in the Smart City Mission list, awareness on the traffic system and environmental issues was also done during the celebration.
The third Raahgiri Day was celebrated by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) in association with the BDA and the State Tourism and Culture Department.
The weekly street event was attended by Higher Education Minister Pradip Panigrahi, Tourism and Culture Minister Ashok Panda, BMC Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena and Ollywood actress Archita.