Celebrating 'azadi' with 'rahgiri' in Old Delhi

On this Independence Day evening, the historic Chandni Chowk street in Delhi's Walled City, otherwise chock-a-block with chaotic traffic and a teeming mass of people, was wide open for a stroll.
The North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) for the first time ever organised 'rahgiri' in the city in collaboration with a leading English daily with an aim to promote non-motorised vehicles and to bring the charm and history of old Delhi closer to the people.
'Rahgiri', a street fete concept, now popular in the national capital region, involves people carrying out various activities in a street, minus the honking of horns and polluting vehicles.

"The idea was to bring the charm of the Walled City closer to people, as otherwise the streets, flanked by old buildings, are too noisy and too filled up to appreciate its beauty. And through this event, people could see, touch, feel and smell the city, literally," NDMC PRO Yogendra Singh Mann told PTI.
Among the activities organised during the four-hour 'rahgiri' included cycling, kite-flying, painting the tricolour on faces, apart from enjoying street foods, all in the background of patriotic songs.
Visitors were seen enjoying riding 'eco-friendly' bicycles from the 1.2-km-long famed stretch from the Lal Mandir (Jain temple) on Red Fort's end to Fatehpuri Masjid on the other.

And, the venue, Mann said, could not have been better, as Red Fort, the symbol of "our azadi celebrations since 1947" overlooks the bustling street that has over time, become the symbol of the old Delhi.
"Flag hoisting in the morning at Lal Quila and then an occasion to walk and engage in colourful activities in the evening at the adjoining Chandni Chowk, we wanted to give people a complete family experience on the occasion," he said.
Chandni Chowk market area designed by Jehan Ara, daughter of Mughal emperor Shahjehan was built by him in the 17th century and to this day draws crowd from home and abroad, for its centuries-old shops and gastronomical delights.