The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Autorickshaws revving up to meet challenge

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 03, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Autorickshaws revving up to meet challenge

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI: It sounds absolutely crazy – and that’s the whole point. The ‘CEAT Mumbai Xpress Autorickshaw Rally 2007’ also called ‘An Amazing Race for the Clinically Insane’ is all set to start from Chennai to Mumbai on August 5.

Organised by the Indian Autorickshaw Challenge and CEAT Tyres, the rally – where teams drive autorickshaws to the finish fulfilling various challenges along the way – will see 32 teams from eight countries participating in the challenge, spanning 12 days and 1,921 km.

But, the race is not just about adventure, according to Aravind B. Kumar, lead organiser. The teams have been asked to raise money to provide a school in India with supplies, including notebooks and other provisions. Though this is not compulsory, the organisers along with Rotary International have selected 29 schools enroute for the project. Also, the participants will interact with the community leaders of each village to find out what the village needs.

Road safety is another aspect that the rally intends to focus upon. Each team will be given safety instructions, and will make efforts to create an awareness of road safety. To underline their commitment to the cause, the organisers, instead of awarding the first place to the team that reaches Mumbai first, considers as the winner the team that acquires the maximum number of points by overcoming the various challenges set before it.

The rally also caters to the growing need for adventure tourism around the world: the autorickshaw teams will travel through 12 towns at the height of the monsoon season, according to an organiser.

This year also happens to be the 50th anniversary of the autorickshaw, according to Mr. Kumar. “Autorickshaws were introduced in India in 1957,” he said. The rally will be flagged off from St. George’s School and end in Mumbai on August 17.

This is the second rally to be organised by the Indian Auto Rickshaw Challenge and CEAT.

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