When I saw a hoarding which loudly announced a car rally, I told Surya, "You have to cover this rally". He agreed instantly. What could be more rewarding for an auto enthusiast and blogger than this event? He talked to the guys and went to their office. When he came back, his reaction was, "Can't we participate?" I must admit that initially, I was not very comfortable with the idea but adrenalin helps make up your mind.
On 15th of June, we were there. The Bari Maidan Club house was full of cars and SUVs. The place was buzzing with participants preparing for the flag off.
RJ Manoj from 93.5 RED FM was busy measuring the heart beats of the participants. As this was a TSD format rally and most participants (including us) were new, everyone was asking each-other about the TULIP. The call from help-desk made participants sign their presence, line up their vehicles, take their tees, water and snacks and eagerly wait for their turn.
At 8 am sharp, DSP (traffic) R. M. Sinha flagged off the 1st vehicle. The others followed at an interval of 2 minutes.
The rally passed through city roads, highways, causeways, through villages, across forest keeping the spirit of the participants high.
There were undeclared time control and passage control points where the participants were supposed to get their time and route endorsed.
Rajiv Sarkar and Saptarshi Basu on vehicle no. 2 emerged as the winner with a total penalty of 52 seconds! All lady team comprising of Ruma Ghosh and Divya Hazra were given a special prize. The prize distribution ceremony marked the presence of eminent citizens like DSP Mr. R. M. Sinha and Mr. Bodhanwala.
I can just hope that Jamshedpur becomes witness to many more such events in future.
