Women can't drive! A statement which is made by almost every man and maybe many women themselves.
I have personally been guilty of having such a prejudice - which I now choose to change.
It was on 1st May'2017 that more than 1000 women from various walks of life above the age of 18 gathered at The Holiday Inn, Goa.
The reason - to celebrate the success of the largest car rally for women in the world - a Guinness record unbroken from 2014. The rally is organized to create awareness on breast cancer.
The rally is held by Times of India in association with the Women's association of Indian Cancer Society in the TSD format (Time, Speed, Distance) and is held over a period of 2 days from Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru to finally reach Goa. A distance of more than 600kms is covered with an average speed not more than 50kmph; at times it's as low as 24kmph by 400+ cars.
The directions are not in the form of a regular route map but in the form of a Tulip Chart (a specially designed navigational format for this type of rally).
The rally essentially requires a driver and navigator (to calculate the speed required to cover a certain distance and the time that will be taken). The navigator also tells the route based on the tulip chart.
Another stereotype broken - Women are not good at calculations and they do not understand directions!
The calculations seem pretty simple but the co-ordination between driver and navigator has to be precise for the winning is not based on who comes first but rather on who has the least score.
To briefly give an understanding, there are time controls (TC's) at certain intervals (unknown to the participants) and based on your calculations, your arrival at these TC's are recorded. If you reach a minute early, 2 points are added and if you reach a minute late, 1 point is added. It is therefore imperative that you try to get as little points added to your tally. The team with the least points wins the rally.
Also on display was creativity at its best - the best decorated car, the best dressed team, the best social message - each team trying to outwit the others and in the process spreading the message of the social cause they believed in.
The finale at Goa had more than 1000 women under the great night sky, letting their hair down, dancing away like there's no care in the world, breaking boundaries (unknown to us), breaking the most important stereotype - too many women under one roof - would be a disaster; but it was a superb experience - complete strangers dancing to the tunes of the DJ, laughing together, sharing stories, making friends.
So the next time any of us thinking - a woman can't drive, just a little thought to this Guinness Record breaking feat should put your minds at ease!
I have personally been guilty of having such a prejudice - which I now choose to change.
It was on 1st May'2017 that more than 1000 women from various walks of life above the age of 18 gathered at The Holiday Inn, Goa.
The reason - to celebrate the success of the largest car rally for women in the world - a Guinness record unbroken from 2014. The rally is organized to create awareness on breast cancer.
The rally is held by Times of India in association with the Women's association of Indian Cancer Society in the TSD format (Time, Speed, Distance) and is held over a period of 2 days from Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru to finally reach Goa. A distance of more than 600kms is covered with an average speed not more than 50kmph; at times it's as low as 24kmph by 400+ cars.
The directions are not in the form of a regular route map but in the form of a Tulip Chart (a specially designed navigational format for this type of rally).
The rally essentially requires a driver and navigator (to calculate the speed required to cover a certain distance and the time that will be taken). The navigator also tells the route based on the tulip chart.
Another stereotype broken - Women are not good at calculations and they do not understand directions!
The calculations seem pretty simple but the co-ordination between driver and navigator has to be precise for the winning is not based on who comes first but rather on who has the least score.
To briefly give an understanding, there are time controls (TC's) at certain intervals (unknown to the participants) and based on your calculations, your arrival at these TC's are recorded. If you reach a minute early, 2 points are added and if you reach a minute late, 1 point is added. It is therefore imperative that you try to get as little points added to your tally. The team with the least points wins the rally.
Also on display was creativity at its best - the best decorated car, the best dressed team, the best social message - each team trying to outwit the others and in the process spreading the message of the social cause they believed in.
The finale at Goa had more than 1000 women under the great night sky, letting their hair down, dancing away like there's no care in the world, breaking boundaries (unknown to us), breaking the most important stereotype - too many women under one roof - would be a disaster; but it was a superb experience - complete strangers dancing to the tunes of the DJ, laughing together, sharing stories, making friends.
So the next time any of us thinking - a woman can't drive, just a little thought to this Guinness Record breaking feat should put your minds at ease!
