The Rickshaw Challenge is an event that happens five times a year, every year. It’s a great way to see the country and this year, six teams from around the world came down to explore Tamil Nadu, and drove themselves around in bright, customised auto-rickshaws.
They had many adventures along the way, some of which were unexpected. While they traversed many Indian cities, at the end of the day they had a place to turn in thanks to their organisers, Chennai Event Management.
The English Team
On their first day in Chennai, Hillary Miller and Mark Truman lost their way. They were riding their auto rickshaw, and had to pay another auto Rs. 200 to help them find their way back to the hotel. “We would’ve paid anything,” confesses Mark, who along with his group of five friends was in India on a holiday. The rickshaw challenge hadn’t even started, but their adventures had begun.
Day 1 — Funky autos, not for hire
Dressed in jazzy shirts and bright Afro wigs, they left the hotel during a torrential downpour. They made many discoveries about driving in Indian traffic — everyone honks all the time, the green buses are really fast and driving through a pedestrian zone will not land you in jail.
Day 2 — The good traffic cop
Due to Diwali, most roads that led to their hotel were blocked, leaving them a little lost. When they chanced upon a traffic cop and asked him for directions, he already had a little diagram on his hand, having given pictorial directions to their friends from the challenge who were also lost.
Day 3 — He’s got the right contacts
“Everywhere we went, people would congregate and ask for a picture,” said Mark, and so they did on the day they had a breakdown on the road. The helpful crowd translated their problems to a autorickshaw driver, who in turn called a mechanic friend who gave up Diwali celebrations with his family to come help them. They tried to pay them for their help, but were vehemently refused.
Day 4 – Good fortune ahead
They met a parrot astrologer who ubiquitously said they would all have good fortune. “When it was my brother’s turn, the parrot picked up the card and walked back to its cage. The guy had to yank it out of its beak forcefully,” giggles Hillary.
Day 5 – A day at school
The team stopped at a school on the outskirts of Thiruvanamalai where they were greeted by excited children who made them feel really special. “It was the best welcome we’d ever got,” says Hillary, adding that most of the tuk-tuk riders were overwhelmed.
The Australian Women
Jocelyn Boyd, Michelle Singer, Fiona Mcleod and Jesssie Kernot have been wanting to take part in the autorickshaw challenge for seven years now. This year, the four women from Australia finally decided to take their holiday, knowing that some adventure would come with it.
Day 1 — Disaster day
For two hours, the women were waiting in the rain when the tuk-tuk had a breakdown. Then, they pushed it for 3km and had to deal with an engine that ceased three times. The fault was theirs, they said, they didn’t it had a fourth gear.
Day 2 — Disputes on the road
The ladies rammed into a motorbike and when the rider refused to let them go, they decided to pay him off. Unlike in Australia, here they didn’t need to go to court to settle the dispute.
Day 3 — A show of hospitality
When they stopped by a roadside banana vendor for pictures, they were spotted by a young girl who dragged them off to her house to offer them breakfast on Diwali day. “Her dad just didn’t understand why we’d want to ride around in an autorickshaw and kept offering to drive us in a car to our next destination,” said Fiona, giggling.
Day 4 — Roadside food
The women spotted a stall where they stopped for lunch. They ate hot parottas on big banana leaves with four different curries.
Day 5 — The return home
They finally returned to their hotel in Chennai, after experiencing the many colours, faces, temples and tales that Tamil Nadu has to offer. They were exhausted, but happy to have had their crazy adventures.
The Men from New Zealand
Daniel Smith from New Zealand thought the autorickshaw challenge would be a great way to see India. He strong-armed his dad, Rex Smith, into getting on board with the idea and along with his friend, Jason Mataga, decided to take up the challenge.
Day 1 — All for a cold beer
When the men reached Puducherry, they went to a very local roof-top bar. There was no furniture, only concrete, accompanied by a lot of dirt and cigarette butts. “But the people were friendly and the beer was cold,” they happily declared.
Day 2 — A nice old man
They needed petrol and they embarked on a hunt for the nearest refill station. That’s when they met a nice old guy who was willing to help them. “This old guy rode ahead on his push bike, asking us to follow him,” said Rex.
Day 3 — The people here, they are nice
It was the first night of Diwali, and there was a sea of people on the road who wanted to wish them. “We just couldn’t shake hands fast enough,” said Daniel, laughing.
Day 4 — Some curious kids
While climbing a fort in Namakkal, they were drawn into a conversation by a group of 10-year-olds. “They asked if we were super stars and, of course, we told them we were,” said an amused Rex.
Day 5 — Look out for the goats
The men were very puzzled by unfinished culverts on the road. “Do the Government departments not talk to each other,” wondered Jason aloud. Riding through India, they discovered many things about road problems here. “The cows are the least of your problems,” they said. “It’s the goats that are more eccentric.”
