From 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm on March 25, residents switched off their lights and went out for strolls, while children played in parks or walked around the society with candles.
More than 20 condominiums and sectors in Gurgaon observed Earth Hour from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm on March 25. Several areas also organised candle marches and candlelight dinners to mark the hour.
Earth Hour is a worldwide movement organised by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The annual event encourages individuals, communities, households and businesses to turn off their lights and electrical appliances for one hour as a symbol of their commitment to the environment. India has been part of the global initiative since 2009.
Nirlept Singh, RWA president, Uniworld Gardens, said, "Most of us were out of our homes and playing antakshari. Everybody had a great time and at the same time did their bit for the planet."
Residents came out for strolls while children played in parks or walked around the society with candles.
For couples in Spaze Privy, a society on Sohna Road, it was the perfect opportunity for a candlelight date. "Everyone should do their bit for this noble cause," said Daisy Vijay, a resident of the society whose husband had come home for two days from his work in Shillong. "If we all chip in, the world will definitely be a better place to live in."
"And the candlelight dinner my husband and I had on our balcony was so much fun," she added.
Senior citizens across Gurgaon societies spent the hour in parks. Some of them discussed the need to switch to solar lights in neighbourhood parks.
“We had asked residents to come to the park, where we had arranged snacks," said Joginder Singh, RWA president, Sushant Lok II. "More than 200 residents turned up and we discussed ideas on how to save electricity.”
