Drive for a cause

Kollywood actor Karthi flagged off by the automobile Rally for the Blind organised by the O2 Health Studio in association with the National Association for the Blind and the Madras Motor Sports Club.On Sunday, March 25, O2 Health Studio, in association with the National Association for the Blind, organised a singular car rally that had the visually-impaired play navigators.

The event was flagged off by actor Karthi. Over 75 cars participated within the rally, making it some of the exciting physical games for the visually-challenged to be held within the city.

The rally was not merely a fun event; the target was to instill confidence in addition to have the navigator and the motive force work jointly towards a standard goal. The navigator read out instructions written in Braille that the motive force needed to follow.

The rally was in line with a Time, Speed and Distance format and the competitors needed to make certain that thet arrived in any respect Time Controls at scheduled times.

With the navigator and the driving force working in tandem, their interaction over the 2 days of the dummy rally in addition to the real event, gave rise to a camaraderie that would signify the start of a robust friendship.

The rally helps individuals with visual impairment to experience the thrills of a rally, in addition to to construct contacts. It also gives an individual with normal eyesight a chance to grasp the wishes of the visual impaired.

The first such rally was held in Bombay. Chennai followed suit in 1989, with the early rallies being sponsored by Ceat Limited.

The event was organized by the National Association for the Blind and the Madras Motor Sports Club. Later, the sponsorship of the rally was taken over by UCAL Fuel Systems Ltd. Since 2009, O2 Health Studio, A unit of Savera Industries Ltd., was sponsoring the event.

For Priya Krishnaswamy, who has participated within the previous year’s rally as well, it's an awesome experience.

She wonders on the integration of technique, coherence and ability between the team members comprising of a navigator, a co-navigator, a mathematician and the driving force. Priya says that she is calling forward to participating in additional such events.