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Rickshaw Rally: A Riotous Ride Into India's Soul
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Among those participating in the 13-day, 2,500 mile Autorickshaw Rally were a financial analyst from Fairfax County searching for the "real India," a cancer survivor with one leg and a passion for living life boldly, an Irishman residing in Brooklyn, and a 72-year-old retired nurse from Canada on a last hurrah with her two sons. The trip was marketed as "an amazing race for the clinically insane."
The driving tips handed out for the rally advised the following:
? A rough rule of thumb in any situation is that cows have the right of way.
? Honk as much as possible.
? And don't be alarmed if pedestrians sleep on the edge of the road. There is nothing wrong. They are just resting.
A medic and translator were always on the mapped-out routes, along with a luggage bus.
The rally raised money for schools and villages along the route, and each two-person team donated school supplies and medicines and met with local leaders to learn about India's varied cultures. There were no Indian citizens in the rally.
"I think Indians travel in auto-rickshaws enough without wanting to do it for fun. When I came to know of this race, I was perplexed," said Shri Suresh Shetty, state minister for tourism, who attended the final night's events. "It's a challenge for all of us to even travel in autos normally, and this is an amazing endurance test. I am so proud of these people."
The teams had wacky names, including Rickshaws Without Borders, Wrong Lane, Dukes of Hassan, Poppadom Preach and Autocrats. A British couple dressed as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Princess Leia, complete with sabers and hooded costumes, dubbed themselves Return of the Chennai.
