CHENNAI: The National Association for the Blind (NAB), O2 Health Studio and Madras Motor Sports Club, together hosted the 29th edition of the car rally for the blind. The rally, which was flagged off from Savera Hotel, saw around 45 different cars hit the road. Each car had around three to four participants, including a visually impaired partner navigating, using a braille system. “I noticed that many companies would take it up and then discontinue. Then we decided to pursue it, and for the last eight years, O2 has been partnering with NAB,” said Nina Reddy, president, NAB.
Mani Clubwala, former president, NAB who flagged off the car rally this year, recalled the first rally, which she was a part of. “I wanted to find out what it was like, so I took a navigator, went to Mumbai and participated in a rally there. Once I came back, it was a task to convince people and tell them that they would have to only navigate and not drive. I had to visit so many schools,” she said.
A day prior to the race day, the team members participated in a dummy rally to interact with each other. On the day of the race, each team had one navigator who read out the rally route instructions to the driver. Anandabhairavi, a participant, who has been part of the rally for the last seven years, expressed her excitement. “This is an interesting event and I am happy to be part of it. More than winning or losing, we are here to have fun, and most importantly to meet new people and make friends for life,” she added.
The rally was a two-and-a-half hour drive within the city. The teams were judged based on the speed, how well they navigated,and team coordination. The winners were awarded a trophy and cash prizes, in six categories — Express, Regulars, Novice, O2 Health Studio, iSavers, and All ladies.