RAMYA KANNAN
from The Hindu
If you were up and about, rising and shining last Sunday, it is just possible that you might have
see a long line of cars, proceeding in synchrony, on Chennai’s roads. If you did, you caught a slice of history in action - The Swift Train 2006.
The line of Swift cars were part of "India’s first ever Swift Train", winding through Chennai roads and heading towards the race track at Sriperumbudur. If you ask Harsha and Prabha Koda, proud Swift car owners, the couple behind the Swift Club, it was mostly for ’unlimited fun!’
"Here at the Swift Club we just wanted to put a running train of 50 cars on Chennai roads, for the sheer beauty of the formation…for the wonderful car, for enjoying the long drive, for conveying road safety messages."
"It started as a simple idea two weeks ago. Chennai Swift Club is the baby of a few car enthusiasts, who felt the need for a car club in Chennai (to start with) and eventually create a presence all over India," Prabha said. There is an increasing need among car owners and driving enthusiasts for a forum or a club, where one can discuss topics like tyre rotations, safe driving practices, performance enhancement modifications, service, repair, anything and everything about cars.
Snake game
The ’Swift Train’, started at ’Coffee?’ in R.A. Puram and ended at the Sriperambdur MMSC Race track. The train was flagged off with five cars, with five cars joining in at the next nine starting points and increasing the length of the train. The snake game concept in cell phones best explains the Swift Train. Thirty cars made it to the event on Sunday. "Nearly 30 Swifts as a train is bigger than even the Grand Trunk Express (arguably the longest train) which happens to have only 24 bogies" said Rishikesh Sreedhar, a participant. It chugged along the length of the Adyar Bridge into the Sardar Patel Road, crossed Madhya Kailash Temple, and turned right to the second point at Kotturpuram. The train picked more cars at Cenotaph Road and Mount Road, and was escorted by a Police car till Gemini Flyover, turning into Nungambakkam High Road. Cheered by public on city roads, the train pulled on to the NH 4 and gave the drivers what they believed was a superb experience!
They stepped on the pedal and headed into Sriperambdur Race Track in style and synchronisation.
At the pit stop in Sriperambdur race track, the club was in for a big surprise as the Madras Motor Sports Club invited the train onto the pro-race track. "Mind-blowing, a great experience on the track… It was surreal!!" gushed Ashwini, who drove a black Swift. An experience that would have not been quite the same but for generous support from Zest, a product of Club Mahindra Holidays, JK Tyres, Radio City and MMSC. More power to these enthusiasts then, at least to their cars!
View Swift Train 2006 in a larger map
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