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Car Rally Event Kicks-off in Siliguri, India 

2010-02-04 08:57

 

The third Indo-Bhutan Friendship Car Rally was formally flagged off from Siliguri City in the eastern state of West Bengal on Thursday. The event was created in 2007 to reinforce friendship between India and Bhutan.

'Connecting People' has been chosen as the theme of this year’s rally.

[Thinley Wangchuk, Participant from Bhutan]:
"This rally will enhance people-to-people contact. As it is, we enjoy very good relations with India. So, I feel such events should be organized every time."

[Dasho Tshering Wangda, Consul General, Royal Consulate of Bhutan]:
"Physically or externally, it may sound as a simple car rally. But on the sidelines of this rally, tremendous amount of goodwill, friendship is being carried from India to Bhutan, and bringing the same back from Bhutan to India."

The event tests the endurance of drivers as well as their vehicles. They’ll cover over 96 miles in the first leg and reach the Indo-Bhutan border. Later they will drive towards the city of Thimpu.

[J. P. Majumdar, Car Rally Organizer]:
"We have conceptualized this rally to connect people of both the nations. This rally will move through the interior parts of India and then cover the interior parts of Bhutan."

Earlier on Sunday, the motorists were given a ceremonial send-off in Kolkata to mark the start of the rally.

In the second leg of the rally, the participants will drive through mountainous terrains and forests close to the Indo-Bhutan border.

The event will conclude on February 6th when the participants drive from Gelephu to Bhutan's capital city of Thimpu. There are about 40 participants.