Jamshedpur, Feb. 21: The first edition of Jam@Street saw an overwhelming response on with denizens hitting the streets on early Sunday morning. The usual busy Bistupur Main Road wore a festive look as people from different walks of life participated in the fest.
Jamshedpur came out to bond with each other and enjoyed healthy activities like cycling, yoga and aerobics and entertainment at the same time on the stretch starting from the Bistupur police station to the N Road traffic signal.
Jam@Street was hosted by various organizations like Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SSCI), Jamshedpur Hoteliers Association and National Association of Street Vendors in India (NAVSI) and was supported by corporate houses like Tata Steel and Jusco. Based on fun, health, environment and food Jam@Street kicked off at 6 a.m. and continued till 10 a.m.
Taking a cue from the steel festival organised at Mumbai, Gurgaon, and Bhubaneswar, the Steel City finally embraced the concept of vehicle-free streets on Sundays, under the banner Jam@Streets.
�It was a first of its kind experience to watch sportsmen play volleyball, cricket, golf, badminton (among other sporting events) on the road that otherwise is busy with heavy traffic in normal days,� said an overwhelmed Anand Gupta, a 22-year-old Ramdas Bhatta resident who arrived early morning to watch Jam@Streets from the start.
Along with sporting events, dance, music and rock band added energy and enthusiasm to the atmosphere as live concert made the crowd go crazy. Dignitaries like T.V. Narendran, managing director, Tata Steel; Ashish Mathur, managing director, Jusco; and Sunil Bhaskaran, vice-president, corporate services, Tata Steel, also took time off and participated in the events to motivate the denizens.
The Chief Minister Raghubar Das also visited the venue around 9:45 a.m. and hailed the concept. �It�s a good start by Tata Steel to make the people enjoy the event in a good atmosphere,� said Das, before trying his hands at basketball, badminton and boxing.
For the people with interest in the fine arts, live demonstrations of face painting, wall painting, and interior decoration kept them grounded on the street.
�We never expected such an overwhelming response from the citizen and the way young, old and children have come out on the streets is amazing. Now we will plan to host the event twice in a month so that people along with fun can maintain their health,� said Rajesh Rajan.
In sports section, people participated in boxing, roller skates, yoga and badminton. A rock band also performed live with people dancing to the tunes.
Students of Jamshedpur Women’s College managed a dance corner teaching a couple of steps on Bollywood numbers. Social organisations and Iskcon played kirtan to give a spiritual feeling.
The event was designed in a way to promote bicycling for a cleaner environment without pollution. �It is an innovative way we want to instil a sense of belonging to the citizens here. It provides an opportunity for the whole family to blend together and indulge in different activities,� said an official of Jusco.
Several food stalls offering a variety of morning delights including dosas, golgappas, upma, idli, samosa, kachori sabzee, health drinks and fruits, sandwiches, cakes, were put up to tickle taste buds.Food was also an important part that was available at an affordable cost.
�I have participated in one such event at Delhi. It�s really good to bring the joy and fun of the street to our city,� said Rahul Sharma, a college student.
Vehicular movement from 6.00 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. was restricted on Bistupur Main Road. People wanting to go to the railway station took to Kharkhai Link Road to reach Kharkhai Bridge and then to Voltas roundabout.
“We are really surprise to see the response. Believe it or not, all the food stalls ran out of stock. We have plans to organise it regularly,” said Anil Khemka, president, Jamshedpur Hoteliers� Association.
Speaking about the event, Sunil Bhaskaran, vice-president, Corporate Services, Tata Steel, thanked the Deputy Commissioner and SSP and the local administration for their tremendous support to allow it to go on smoothly and safely.
Prabhakar Singh, general secretary of Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce and Industry, congratulated all members of Jam@Streets for making it a huge success.