This story is from September 15, 2014

Kids give big push to pedal power

Chandana G, 18, was a bundle of energy as she hit the pedal at the Cycle Day event in Allalasandra Lake, Yelahanka New Town, early on Sunday.
Kids give big push to pedal power
BANGALORE: Chandana G, 18, was a bundle of energy as she hit the pedal at the Cycle Day event in Allalasandra Lake, Yelahanka New Town, early on Sunday.
Only the previous evening, she was busy drawing a chessboard on the road for the popular street event that promotes cycling through a smorgasbord of other activities, including games and cultural performances.
As the PU second year student pedalled on, her proud dad, Vivekananda G, an assistant executive engineer at Bescom, said, “Cycling has many health benefits.
She can spare two hours on this social and healthy event and get back to studies after that.“ Cycle Day is sup ported by The Times of India.
The Allalasandra lakefront teemed with hundreds of youngsters dressed in bright clothes and straddling their mean machines. With youngsters outnumbering adults at the event, it was clear the future of cycling is bright.
Many children had woken up their parents early in the morning and handheld them to the venue, unmindful of impending exams.
“My eighth-grader son has his Social Science exam on Monday . But he woke up at 5am and ensured we were up too. I had to force him to get back to studying now and he agreed after spending a good two hours here,“ said Syed Nizamuddin, Range Forest Officer, Doddaballapur.
Samiksha, 8, zipped around on her bicycle as her sister, Disha, 2, played the cheergirl. Their mother, Chaitra Praveen from Judicial Lay out, was happy that events like Cy cle Day keep kids away from the computer and TV . Anshumaan Sahu, all of three, struggled to keep pace with other cyclists. “I've come here so early , only because of him,“ said Yela , hanka New Town resident Sudam Charana Sahu, a private company employee. Ditto with Avinash Per mude, a software engineer at Ora cle, who said his daughter Aditi (2) had forced him to attend the event.

The road literally turned into a board for the participants to play games like chess, snakes and ladders and others. Colourful culturals were show-stoppers too. An exclusive loft had been erected for folk perform ances. There was Dollu Kunitha; t Veeragaase, a vigorous war dance based on Hindu mythology, and Hulivesha, a folk dance unique to Tulu Nadu region, where youths in tiger masks, made some feline moves.
Cycle Day is an open-street event conducted by BCOS. Banga lore Coalition for Open Streets , (BCOS) is a non-profit collective comr prising the Directorate of Urban y Land Transport, Praja RAAG, EM BARQ India, ESAF and individual citizens. Cycle Day is supported by y Bangalore police (traffic and law and order) and partnered locally with Yelahanka United Environment ) Association (YUVA).
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