HYDERABAD: A vintage car is making people stop in their tracks in the city. The yellow and black beauty, Morgan 3-Wheeler, also known as the Queen Bee, is here courtesy a British couple — Alan Braithwaite and Pat — who have taken up the Trans-India Challenge. They made a pit stop in Hyderabad before they started for Khammam, and spoke about completing 780 km of their 34-day, 5,600 km journey. From Khammam, they will move towards Vishakapatnam before following the Bay of Bengal all the way to Kolkata, the second major halt for a chance to rest and regroup. They will then move north via Patna and Lucknow to New Delhi. From there, it’s a final leg travelling south-west, via Jaipur and Ahmedabad to return to Mumbai, some 21 days after leaving the city.
“All along the way, we have been greeted with smiles, waves and selfies. We even brought traffic to a standstill at certain places as drivers, passengers and pedestrians stopped to look at the ‘Queen Bee’ and take photos,” says Alan. Trans-India Challenge aims raise £200,000 to support Goonj, an NGO which is creating a circular economy to empower rural communities. The car is accompanied by a film crew which is making a documentary on their adventure.
Talking about his India connection, Alan said: “My mother was born in Belgaum and my parents were married in Shimla. I visited the house where my mother was born. After India became independent, they were sent back to the UK.”On asking Pat what motivated her to embark on such a long journey in India, she said: “I love India, and have been here twice. Taking up the challenge was a wild idea, but the cause we are supporting motivated me. Goonj is helping women by making biodegradable cotton pads available to them, and this is a cause that I deeply connected with.”
British Deputy High Commissioner, Dr Andrew Fleming, said: “We are glad to welcome Alan to Hyderabad. There is a huge potential to leverage the circular economy to new levels for the benefit of India’s rural communities.”