If winter comes, can street sports be far behind?

The improved air quality in Delhi has brought with it the youth’s enthusiasm to play their favourite outdoor games on the streets of the capital.

While the main roads remain clogged with traffic, the beauty of winter is found in the capital’s narrow lanes, its massive playgrounds, and backyards where children pour in every evening to kick a ball or hit a sixer.

With games ranging from cricket, football and badminton to Gilli danda (an Indian game where players try to strike a small stick called a gilli with a long stick called a danda), the variety is diverse and the warn winter sun just makes it more rejuvenating for the youngsters.

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The spirit of the games is palpable on the ground, accompanied by the cheerful clamour that echoes from the audiences, who are mostly the parents watching their little one play and sometimes climbing down to pacify children in the middle of altercations resulting from a moment from the match.

The national capital on Friday recorded its coldest morning of this season with a minimum temperature of 9.6 degrees Celsius, three notches below the normal, according to India Meteorological Department.

Delhi overall continues to be in the poor category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 9 am stood at 275. Meanwhile, IMD has forecast mainly clear skies throughout the day.

The maximum temperature is expected to settle at 26 degrees Celsius. The relative humidity at 8.30 am was 79 per cent, IMD said.

Few glimpses of the Capital indulging in street sports