When the world came driving in auto rickshaws to Mangalore...
Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (VM)
Mangalore, Aug 6: The ultimate auto rickshaw adventure ‘Mumbai Express’ rally halted at Mangalore with the Mangalore Round Table -115 as the organizers for Mangalore city.
The event was flagged off by the tablers led by chairman Dane D’Souza, convener Aajeeth Kumar, Haron Fernandes, Pramod Pinto, Jathin Kumar, Deepak Ramani and other members from Mallikatta government higher primary school on Tuesday August 6.
The 12-day rally involves participants from different parts of the world. Flagged off from Mumbai on July 29, it will reach Chennai on August 9. Round Table India is the main organizer for this event with each of the city sections heading it at every stop.
The 6 participating teams of the rally joined from different pit stops along the way such as Alibagh, Pune, Mahabaleshwar, Ratnagiri, Panaji and Mangalore. From Mangalore they will now travel to Mysore, Bangalore, Vellore, finally culminating at Chennai.
Speaking to Daijiworld, Princely, organizer of the rally said they organize 5 similar rallies annually where people from all over the world register themselves on their website. The rally is also organized with 7 days and 12 days as the time duration, with the 12 day rally been more competitive one.
The participating groups include members from the UK, Germany, Australia, Russia, New Zealand, he said, adding, "The rally is more adventurous for them as they have to travel on Indian roads. The organizers also hold fun competitions on the way mainly to interact with people."
Michael, one of the participants from Germany said, "I got to know about this rally through my friend. This is for the first time I am visiting India. It is a good experience overall, as we have to face different conditions like weather and others unlike in Germany.
The auto rickshaw which seems so delicate is actually a very sturdy vehicle which can withstand the gritty Indian roads, he added.