Star-studded Lavasa Car Rally sees participation all-women teams. 250 cars with all women riders participated in the 225- km rally held in aid of spreading awareness about cancer. Mumbai, March 30, 2009: They came, they zoomed, they rejoiced Over 1000 women took off in 250 cars starting 7.00 am on a clear Sunday morning from the Reclamation grounds near Lilavati Hospital, Bandra in the Lavasa Women’s Drive. The rally traversed 225 km to reach Lavasa, free India’s first and largest hill city, located in the backwaters of Warasgaon dam on the Western Ghats, near Pune.
Flagging off the Lavasa Women’s Drive, held in spreading awareness of cancer, were suave Bollywood stars Ajay Devgan and Fardeen Khan; gorgeous divas Gul Panag, Diana Hayden, Mughda Godse, Pooja Bedi, VJ Sophie Choudary, socialite Devika Bhojwani and fashion designer Shaina NC. The first car to drive from Mumbai was an open Logan decorated with roses called the ‘Rosy Car’, driven by renowned VJ Teejoy Sindhu, and accompanying her as a navigator was the winner of the Himalayan car rally, Divya Meghnani.
“We are proud to host the Lavasa Women’s Drive which saw hordes of women participants get behind wheels for a cause. The woman of today is smart, intelligent and ever willing to take on new challenges in life. A car rally to the beautiful hill city of Lavasa amply brings out this spirit of the modern woman. We salute this spirit which also brought out the softer side of the woman that supported the cause of creating awareness about the need of early detection of cancer.†said Anuradha Paraskar, Senior Vice President – Marketing, Lavasa Corporation Limited.
On entering the finish line at Lavasa, the participants were greeted with a traditional welcome. The promenade of Dasve town at Lavasa became a mini carnival venue where participants unwinded, rejoiced and rejuvenated. There were special foot and head massage offered to all women participants in the rally. While there were exclusive food stalls, bangle and bead makers and cut outs for exclusive photo opportunities, a live DJ entertained the participants with games and music, keeping the women in good spirits. The lunch was organized at the newly opened Fortune Select Dasve, a four star hotel by ITC at Lavasa.
The participants, some of them first-time rallyists, were of the opinion that such events would motivate women to be a part of motor-racing or rallies that are usually considered to be male-dominated sports. They participated with immense pride for a cause that needed their absolute support – building awareness for women’s cancer.
The rally was organized in aid of woman’s cancer Initiative of Tata Memorial Hospital, a non-governmental, non-profit organization aimed at creating awareness about cancers that affect women.
The winner of the rally, will be presented with a prize worth Rs. 1 lakh, which includes a 2-night/3-day trip to Bangkok.
About Lavasa
Lavasa is free India’s first and largest hill city being developed by HCC (Hindustan Construction Company) where people can Live, Work, Learn and Play in harmony with nature. A complete new town, based on principles of New Urbanism, it is fast being developed amidst 12,500 acres of land, 3 hours’ drive from Mumbai and 1 hour from Pune. Lavasa will host a complement of global leaders in hospitality, tourism, education, healthcare, business research and industry. The hill city provides contemporary yet timeless architectural designs, multiple options for housing and state of the art infrastructure and amenities, thus enabling people to live life in full. For more information, visit www.lavasa.com.
