CHENNAI: On January 28, 2002, the Duchess Club was born. A team was formed with around 300 women from all walks of life. The agenda and activities for the year were chalked by five likeminded women — Nina Reddy, Rathi Nilakantan, Anu Agarwal, Sujata Mundhra and Anuradha Sachdev. Although an annual event, the club has earned a name for its All Women Car Rally and the Duchess Utsav, a platform for aspiring entrepreneurs to exhibit their creations. Ahead of the Indianoil Duchess All Women Car Rally on July 8, the four women sit down for a chat — each one has a memory to share about the trust, friendship and excitement that holds the team together.
Behind the wheels
Speaking about the upcoming rally, Nina recollects how it all began. “There were other clubs in the city that organised car rallies. Sujatha and I were enthusiastic about these events. Eventually, the all-women car rally concept came about, probably because some people thought it was not lucrative. This was the turning point for rallies,” she says.
The team expects around 100 cars at the rally on Sunday. Many women have registered. The concept seems more popular among women in their thirties. Their oldest member is 70 years old. “We would love for the kids to participate. In 2010, we brought in the concept of a family rally after seeing men’s interest to participate,” she adds.
This year’s theme is the ban of single-use plastics. At the rally, women can drive under novice, regular and expert categories. Each car accommodates four and every team member is assigned a task. One person drives, the second one navigates, the third one ensures the team follows the rules and the fourth person calculates the time, speed and distance. “The theme revolves around the big event for the year. We’ve had concepts like allmen category, blind-category, world cup themes and namma Chennai nalla Chennai. This year the cars will be decorated using sustainable materials. At the end of the event, we have a prize for the best-dressed car.
This year there will be drones covering the rally and capture the designs on the roof of the cars. We’ve also used glass bottles instead of plastic and cloth bag to create awareness,” says Anu. The 50-60 km rally is held in July every year as the members believe that’s when women settle after a vacation and the weather is better than summer.
Different activities
The club has many eminent speakers from different fields. “We want women to be socially aware. Recently we went to Kalakshetra as a part of our outdoor activities. Every month there is a meeting and at least 220 members of the 300 are present,” says Nina. Their two- or three-day exhibition called Duchess Utsav, which is held during the pre-festive season, is much sought after. Another popular activity is the travel club, which was started in 2008.
A team of women, headed by Rathi Nilakantan go on both foreign and national trips once every three months. Their 43rd trip is to Kenya and Lucknow in October. Their organisation called Helping Hands works towards providing nutrition and education to underprivileged children. “We’ve seen many women in our journey. While some leave some choose to stay.
There’re always women waiting to establish themselves and as a 17-year-old club we are happy to provide opportunities,” she says. The Indianoil Duchess All Women Car Rally will be held on July 8. It is organised by the Duchess Club and the professional team of Madras Motor Sports Club. It will be flagged off outside Hotel at 9 am.