Not many would consider Wagner for a long drive. Nor would they drive around in Chennai’s nasty August heat in Ferrari jerkins. But then Paul Haran is not your average driver. And he isn’t on just another drive. Haran and friend Mark Hanscomb, who goes by Harry, form team Nigel Manzil, one of 13 participating in the third annual auto rickshaw rally from Chennai to Mumbai.
The rally, promoted by Chennai Event Management Services (CEMS) and Round Table India, features 27 participants, who have ambitions of covering the 1,900 km stretch via Vellore, Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore, Bhatkal, Panaji, Ratnagiri, Mahabaleshwar, Pune and Alibagh, in less than two weeks.
“Meeting at a car park near Juhu Juhu beach, we all drove the last 800 meters to the Marriot, our finishing line, together. A very sad last part of the journey as we’d had so much fun that it was a group consensus that no-one was ready to go home yet but it was fun driving in convoy together, with everyone filming everyone else on their camcorders and digital cameras.
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And so it was outside the Marriot in Mumbai, where our 2000 km’s journey ended and where more red bull drinks and media crews met us. We then very sadly handed over the keys to our rickshaws so that they could journey back to Chennai ready for the next set of insane explorers.”
Recently back in Mumbai after a gruelling auto rickshaw driving odyssey, Australian travel writer Sharell Cook narrates her experiences in an exclusive to domain-b
My flight to Chennai, where the Mumbai Xpress Rickshaw Challenge would be starting from, was delayed nearly an hour. This gave me plenty of time to think about what the next couple of weeks, participating in the Rickshaw Challenge, might bring.
I felt totally unprepared. Even more troublesome, couldn’t help fearing what I’d suspected for quite a while India had finally sent me insane. What other explanation could there be for me agreeing to take part in an event that’s billed as a rally for the “clinically insane”? An event that would require me and my team mate to drive an auto rickshaw for 13 days, over 1,900 kilometers and through four states, from Chennai to Mumbai.
Despite living in India for over three years, I hadn’t been game enough to drive a car, let alone an auto rickshaw that I didn’t know how to operate. What’s more, as little as 30 minutes spent in one of those noisy three-wheeled contraptions was enough to irritate my ears and turn my hair into a knotted mess. How would I cope with 13 days in one? I had absolutely no idea. All I knew was that the opportunity was too hilarious and extraordinary to turn down.
The spirit of adventure that brought 27 people from from around the world together to drive three-wheeled auto-rickshaws across India finally culminated at Mumbai’s JW Marriott in on 13 August 2009.
Divided into 13 teams, they braved the city’s infamous traffic travelling from Alibag in the final leg of the 2,000-km four-state rally, which brought together adventure sports, cultural exchange and charity in an innovative format.
Canadians Christy Denike and Jocelyn Turner, who work for the UN, rode the Mystery Machine. When asked what the hardest part of the tour was, they said the Mysore-Manglore route tested their mettle most. Indian food though was not a problem. ”Riding across the countryside passing through villages was a wonderful experience,” said Christy.
The participants also got a chance to check the under-construction school being built by Round Table India, the charity CEMS has tied up with, for underprivileged children. Last year’s event had raised over Rs10 lakh. The motorists also visited Round Table India’s workshop for handicapped women at Vellore.
Last year, Enviu, the innovators in sustainability based in Rotterdam (NL), launched the Hybrid Tuktuk Battle. The challenge was to design a system to make one million auto-rickshaws in India and other developing countries hybrid, in order to improve the living conditions of millions of drivers and their families, and drastically reduce the CO2 emissions. This month the grand prize went to the HAN’ds On Eco Tuk, a Tuktuk with LPG direct injection designed by the students of Hogeschool Arnhem and Nijmegen (HAN).
The past twelve months 7 battle teams from the Netherlands and India have made a huge effort in developing their prototypes and business plans for making polluting auto-rickshaws, or Tuktuks, cleaner and more efficient. Last weekend the final competition took place in Chennai, India. The winner was chosen based on emission testing, fuel consumption races and a business plan for implementation of the system in India. The winning system saves up to 26% of energy and 53% on fuel costs compared to a regular petrol Tuktuk, and only costs around $200.
This Sunday, the amazing Mumbai Xpress will have its inaugural flag-off in bustling Chennai. Come join the fun which will include local celebrities, music, sport tricks, exhibition dancing, and even get a little energized while you are there! Watch these adventurous travelers from around the globe pile into their wacky auto rickshaws and chart off across the country.
There’s no escaping the ubiquitous three wheeled auto rickshaw in India. Cheaper than a taxi and more convenient than a bus, their loud buzz can be heard all over the country.
However, your experience of India’s auto rickshaws doesn’t have to be restricted to merely riding in them. It’s possible to take the controls and actually race one! And lets face it, who hasn’t at one point in time, wanted to get into the drivers seat of an “auto”? Better still, you’ll be raising money for charity by doing so.
The Rickshaw Challenge operates four auto rickshaw races around India. The Mumbai XPress 2009 is about to get underway on July 31, 2009. However, this year there’s also the Tech Raid 2009 (which starts out from Chennai on October 16, 2009), and the Classic Run 2010 (which makes its way through Tamil Nadu, commencing on December 29, 2009). Next year, the Malabar Rampage through Tamil Nadu and Kerala will kick off on April 2, 2010.
The Mumbai Xpress – 2009 , an autorickshaw rally from Chennai to Mumbai, is expected to raise Rs.25lakhs for providing basic amenities in rural schools.
“The funds raised will be used towards 10 projects along the rally route and will benefit over 20,000 students,” said Aravind Bremanandam, managing director of Chennai Event Management Services, the lead organiser of the event. This year’s autorickshaw rally would incorporate a new route covering Mysore, Pune and Mahabaleshwar, Bremanandam said.
Charity function held in chennai:
Actor and Industrialist Arvind Swamy along with’ Mumbai Express’ Chief Coordinator Arvind Bremanandam donated a checque for Rs, 10,57152to Madras Mid Town Round Table 42 in a function held at Koturpuram Adventetious School, Chennai today. This money will be utilized for the schools without any infrastructure facilities.
Mumbai autorickshaws are called `ricksha’ by the local commuters.
