New Delhi: The IAF and the Subroto Cup Education Society, which conducts the month-long annual Subroto Cup Football, has for the first time organised the Raahgiri Day at the Connaught Place (E-Block) this year between 6 and 9 a.m. on September 6.
Though Raahgiri is not new to the NCR public, Subroto Cup Society has added a new flavour by introducing the mascot, Gilloo, with a message: CLEAN INDIA, GREEN INDIA, HEALTHY INDIA!
Continuing its bit, the Society’s targeted message is to the youngsters to ‘COME OUT AND PLAY’ and motivates people to promote sports, especially the beautiful game of football.
The Subroto Cup Football is the only grassroots level football conducted in the country, involving 32,000 schools, six lakh schoolchildren in three different categories (Under-14 sub-junior Boys, Under-17 Junior Boys and Under-17 Junior Girls).
As for the mascot, the Gillo is a squirrel which is known for agility, sharp reflexes, speed and willpower. In fact, football too is associated with these basic essentials.
An innocuous animal like squirrel, found in every neighbourhood in the country, is becoming extinct and needs protection from the so-called urbanisation a modern India.
The added attraction at the Raahgiri Day was various activities with football and everyone participated in the event winning various prizes. Few lucky participants also won the free passes to the final match on 16th October 2015 and will stand a chance to meet the Delhi Dynamos Team with Roberto Carlos. The crowd did not move on but cheered when our Gilloo also showed them his dancing skills! Later the inner circle at CP witnessed the tri-color balloons flying high in the sky to achieve newer heights in making this tournament a grand success.
A fun run was also flagged off by NDMC Chairperson Mr. Naresh Kumar, IAS. Saplings were given to the winners who participated in a fun run. It also marked releasing of tricolour balloons before the flag-off of the fun run.
