Bengaluru:
Mahatma Gandhi Road in Bengaluru had its first Open Street Day over the weekend, and it was a big hit with those who made their way there. No traffic was allowed on this usually busy street for 12 hours on Sunday; people saw a very different face of the area, and they seem to have loved it.
There was even football on Mahatma Gandhi road. Certainly not something you see every day of the week. Bengaluru's landmark road was for once free of traffic and full of pedestrians enjoying their day out.
"I am a Bangalorean. I have lived in Bengaluru for all my life. This is the first time such an event is happening and it is really nice. Nice to see people from everywhere come here for food, arts, crafts and music. I saw some Yakshagana performances, some Kannada songs being played," said Archana, a visitor.
A couple, Anubika and Saha, had come to the street along with their baby. "MG Road was never like this before. It is so much fun. It is so nice out here," said Anubika. "We should have these events once in three months at least," Saha added.
The idea, in addition to a day of fun for the public, was to encourage people to use public transport and to perhaps clean up the air for a bit at least on the road itself. Judging by the success of this event, the organisers - cutting across many government departments - are likely to repeat this.
Vasanth Rao, General Manager of the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited, told NDTV, "I think there are over a lakh people who have come and joined. We had expected a reasonable success, but this is a resounding success."
Bengaluru looks forward to its next open day.