Vadodara: From 1930 Chevrolet Depot Hack from south India to Buick Eight from Varanasi, seventy-five rare vintage cars carrying proud owners and other passengers, on Thursday rode from the iconic Lakshmi Vilas Palace in Vadodara to the giant Statue of Unity at Gujarat's Kevadia, enchanting people along the way. The nearly 90-km ride was a symbolic gesture from vintage car lovers to mark the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
As the automobile beauties left the sprawling grounds of the 19th century palace and wheeled their way into the main streets, flower petals were showered on them at the main gate while a row of boys and girls on each side, saluted. As the beauties hit the road ahead, swarms of crowds gathered on streetsides and waved at those sitting behind the wheels, many of whom are owners, as they waved back at them with smiling faces.
Children let out a roar at some places along the designated route, while many young men and women sought to capture the fleeting moments on their mobile phone cameras. Even many fellow travellers, sitting behind the wheels in cars, taxis and trucks, couldn't resist the urge, and they gawked outside the window as the old cars passed by.
Among the 75 cars taking part in the ride that culminated at the towering Statue of Unity in Kevadia, is a 1930 Chevrolet Depot Hack with a mint green metal bonnet and a wood finish, including the doors and livery. Other rare beauties on parade in the streets as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav Drive, include a black Buick Eight and a Dodge, both owned by the erstwhile Benares State, and a 1958 MG, owned by Santosh from Bangalore who also drive it, 1938 Armstrong Sidley and 1948 Humber.
The very rare Chevrolet Depot Hack attracted a lot of eyeballs and turned heads, quite literally. "I bought this vintage beauty about 20 years ago from a person in Mysore. In our garage, there are about 35 cars, and this Depot Hack we got it restored over the last one year. We are proud to showcase it in Vadodara and also take it for a ride to Statue of Unity to mark the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav," Coimbatore-based K K Chandrashekhar, owner of the car, told PTI.
He and his son, Abhinandan took turns driving to the Statue of Unity. Madan Mohan, chairman and managing trustee, 21 Gun Salute Heritage & Cultural Trust, said "the event has put together vintage car lovers to celebrate our country and its legacy through heritage motoring, and people of come from various parts of India, from Pune to Assam to take part in the Amrit Mahotsav ride".
The AKAM-themed event on Thursday took place a day ahead of the opening of the 10th edition of 21 Gun Salute Concours d'Elegance which will be hosted from January 6-8 in the premises of the iconic palace in the heritage city of Vadodara. The Concours is being organized by 21 Gun Salute Heritage & Cultural Trust in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, and supported by Gujarat Tourism to boost the 'Incredible India' brand, a spokesperson of the trust said.
Titular king of the erstwhile Baroda State Samarjitsinh Gaekwad among other dignitaries, were also present on the occasion, they said. "It's a matter of great pride that this vintage ride is marking the 75 years of our Independence and Luksh Vilas Palace too is a heritage, and thus two beautiful things have come together to celebrate India," Gaekwad told PTI.
Statue of Unity, a 182-metre structure of freedom fighter Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, is touted as the world's tallest statue. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31, 2018, and is now a big tourist attraction. The imposing monument is twice the height of the Statue of Liberty in the US and is built on an islet, Sadhu Bet, near the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat's Narmada district.
It has been built using over 70,000 tonnes of cement, 18,500 tonnes of reinforcement steel, 6,000 tonnes of structural steel and 1,700 metric tonnes of bronze, which was used for the outer cladding of the structure. A viewing gallery has been created at a height of 135 metres inside the statue to enable tourists to have a view of the dam and nearby mountain ranges.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while dedicating the giant memorial to the nation, said that it will be a reminder about the courage of a man who thwarted efforts to disintegrate India. He had described the Statue of Unity as a symbol of the country's engineering and technical capabilities. (PTI)
