After up and coming actress Hrishitaa Bhatt flagged off the rally from Parel in south Mumbai the participants had to use all their thinking powers to follow the tulip chart.
The course plotted in the tulip meant that you had to drive from Parel to Five Gardens to Ballard Estate, Colaba, Marine Drive, Worli Sea Face, Dadar TT Sion, Vashi, Belapur, and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
There were six pit stops where participants had to answer questions, which made the drive tricky. Most went around in circles. Knowing that the finish was at Khandala quite a few took a wrong route, not bothering to stay with the tulip chart. Some lost course, not expecting the time controls to be back and forth. Like past rallies, some drivers lost their way as they tried to take the easy way out and follow the vehicle in front of them. If the one in front took a wrong turn they too did and paid the price.
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There were some who even dashed off, skipping many a time control in the process, not realizing checking in early would cost them points.
But in all the chaos, all the participants, as they sat down for a sumptuous lunch at the Duke's Retreat, confessed that it was a memorable experience, mainly because they did their bit for the underprivileged children of Mumbai.
Image: Participants enjoy themselves flying kites at Duke's Retreat in Khandala.
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