On the occasion of International Women’s Day, over 400 ladies turned up to compete in the annual JK Tyre WIAA Rally to the Valley here on Sunday. There were more than 100 cars which were a part of the rally commemorating this special day.
It was the sixth edition of the popular TSD rally which is pretty revered in Mumbai’s motorsports calendar as it marks as an important initiative to celebrate the empowerment of women. The rally was organised by JK Tyre and was flagged off by Indian actress Perizaad Zorabian, along with other dignitaries including Mr. Nitin Dossa, Executive Chairperson, WIAA and Mr. Hari Singh, Head of Operations of JK Motorsport and a celebrated Rally Champion.
It wasn’t like any other rally we come across everyday as it witnessed ladies decking up their vehicles in various innovative themes, creating a party-like atmosphere at the NCPA. The rally first scaled the length of the city streets before culminating at Aamby Valley at Lonavla in the evening.
Some of them celebrated ‘LGBTQ freedom’, while a vehicle and its occupants spruced up as proud peacocks conveyed the emboldening message – ‘why fit in when you can stand out!’
Maharashtra Police too registered their presence by fielding two cars with four lady cops in full uniform in each of them promoting the key message of the rally: Road Safety and Women Empowerment.
There were some pretty fascinating entries in the rally. The rally was led by a 79-year-old lady who had two of her granddaughters as her navigators. Mrs. Rajkumari Kasliwal said, “I have been driving for 62 years and am totally excited. My only problem in a TSD rally format is how to keep my speed down.” Age is just a number as they say, and they are pretty right if we take this particular woman as an example.
There was a foreign entry too in the form of Pat Braithwaite who arrived in time for the Rally after driving a Morgan 3-wheeler for 3,500 miles (5,600km) around India in support of a not-for-profit NGO Goonj.“The main objectives of the Rally was to create awareness in the society about Women Empowerment and Road Safety on roads, in public transport and, generally, in public places,” Nitin Dossa, Executive Chairman of Western India Automobile Association (WIAA), said.“We are proud to be associated with the Rally to the Valley,” Sanjay Sharma, Head-Motorsport – JK Tyre, said. “It fits in with our philosophy of empowering women and encouraging road safety. It’s encouraging to see so many ladies stepping forward to take part in this amazing rally,” he added.
JK tyre made sure that the rally gets completed without any hassle. It’s good to see the automotive industry coming together for the cause of Women empowerment.