New Delhi, March 10 (PTI): About 140 people from the South Asian region will have the experience of a lifetime as they get the opportunity to visit seven member countries of the SAARC, making up about a fifth of the world's population, as part of a unique expedition.

The SAARC Car Rally, which starts on March 15 in Bangladesh, will take participants on a merry journey through India, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka before ending at Male in the Maldives on April 14.

The rally, a brainchild of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who suggested that such an event be conducted in the lead-up to the 14th SAARC summit in New Delhi on April 3 and 4, will cover a distance of over 8,200 km by road through varying terrain and will involve participants from eight countries and around 30 vehicles.

There will also be participants from Afghanistan, to be ratified as the eighth SAARC member at the summit, and its representatives in the rally.

The proposal, brought at the 13th SAARC summit in Dhaka in 2005, was approved by other member countries and will be conducted on the lines of the Asean Car Rally held in 2004.

The participants can savour the contrasting terrain that South Asia offers - be it the hills in Nepal and Bhutan or the beaches of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The larger countries -- India, Pakistan and Bangladesh -- will have their own ways of attracting tourists.

The motto of the sojourn is 'Connecting People, Strengthening Ties' and it is co-organised by the Ministry of External Affairs, Confederation of Indian Industry, the member States of SAARC and the SAARC Secretariat.

One of the main objectives of the exercise would be to enhance people-to-people contact within the region and increase trade activities among constituent countries.

It also endeavours to draw attention to the need of improving transport infrastructure in member countries and encourage tourism, economic and business co-operation in the region.

The rally will be accorded a ceremonial flag-off here on April 3 by the Heads of State/Government assembling for the SAARC summit.

Coinciding with the rally, business events will be organised on a sector-specific subject, in each of the SAARC countries through which the rally will pass.

Starting in Cox's Bazaar, the rally will enter Indian territory before moving to Bhutan. It will next get into Nepal via India.

The rally will move into Pakistan through the Wagah Border and will touch Lahore, Islamabad and Taxila on its route.

From Mumbai, the participants will go to Colombo by air and after the Sri Lankan leg they will leave for Male, where the rally will be formally concluded on April 14.