Rallies, clean-up drives mark Independence Day celebration in the city
Army Service Corps' Tornadoes motorcycle riders display dare devilry at Manekshaw Parade Grounds on Friday
Bengaluru: While some Bengalureans saw Independence Day and the long weekend that came with it as an opportunity for a quiet getaway, others decided to spend the day meaningfully, tackling the garbage in the city and taking out a “Say No to Fuel” cycle rally. Members of the Yamaha RD 350 bike club marked the day by riding to the Nandi Hills and hoisting the national flag atop it. With around 1500 bikers taking part in the event, the club is hoping to enter the Limca Book of World Record for getting this many drivers together for a flag hoisting.
Meanwhile, a team of 38 from GoGreen Cycle club rode through the city carrying the national flag to spread the “Say No To Fuel” meassage. Starting at JP Nagar at 6.30 am the cyclists made their way through Southend Circle, Minerva Circle, Cubbon Park, Trinity Circle, Richmond road, Double Road and past the Lalbagh Main Gate before dispersing two hours later.
Said Mr Prabhakar Rao, a club member, “We wanted to create awareness that the day was not only about celebrating Indian Independence but also being independent of fuel.”
Some believed that liberating Bengaluru from its garbage woes was the best way to mark the day. The Ugly Indian Group Spotfix which converged on MG Road for the day, publicized the event on its Facebook page saying, “Come and join! Over a 100 citizens celebrate Independence Day by doing “Kaam Chalu Mooh Bandh! Work will go in till 11 am! We have the Freedom to Fix and we enjoy it!”
Taking a similar initiative, Hebron Properties Pvt. Ltd. in association with Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology, cleaned up the road from NH 7 up to the college campus.
But as the sun rose on I-Day, there were also traffic jams towards Bannerghatta Road as many Bengalureans headed for Sangam, Nandi Hills and Banerghatta Zoo for the day and still others made a beeline for getaways like Coorg to make the most of the extended weekend. Thousands thronged the Lalbagh flower show and fair as well.
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