Posted: 14/10/2010
Last Sunday 70 brightly painted Auto-Rickshaws proudly paraded around the outside of the Jaisalmer fort in Rajastan celebrating completing the 2600km journey from Gangtok, Sikkim in just 14 days. These Tuk tuks and drivers had undertaken the ‘Rickshaw Run’ an epic journey to raise over £100,000 (7,000,000 Rupees) for various charities in India and Nepal.
Started by an organization called ‘The Adventurists’, the rally takes places 3 times a year and is attended by people from all over the world. This autumn there were teams from England, Ireland, America, Australia, New Zealand, Holland, Germany, France and more.
The challenge itself was to drive an auto-rickshaw from Gangtok to Jaisalmer in 14 days without any support with as many people as you wanted to take with you, but most teams were 2 or 3 strong.
Two of the teams, ‘Kernow to Lucknow’ and ‘Shaw Thing’ finished their adventure by visiting Delhi to meet with the staff of Asha. These teams from the UK, led by Tim Curnock, a long term supporter and advocate for the work of Asha, were pleased to be able to do the rally in support of the Delhi based charity which does such valuable work in the city slums.
Above: Asha supporters Tim and Laurie- From Kernow to Lucknow
Laurie from ‘Kernow to Lucknow’ said ‘The journey across Northern India was a wonderful experience and a very different way to see India and meet a huge number of people. With regular mechanical breakdowns, we were lucky enough to receive incredible generosity and kindness from locals in cities, towns and villages every step of the way. We were never far from a friendly mechanic to get us back on the road.’
The Rickshaw Run was a great success both in terms of raising a huge amount of money for local charities as well as giving 200 people one of the biggest challenges of their lives in one of the world most welcoming and exciting countries.
Asha congratulates the teams! Not only did they raise a lot of money for a great cause, but they did so in such a way that they also gained the experience of a lifetime!
Click here to get more info about The Rickshaw Run
Asha would also like to let people know about another incredible rickshaw journey some Asha supporters have planned for next year. Click here to read about the sponsored rickshaw ride from England to Delhi planned by two of Asha's UK supporters. We'll keep you updated on this story.
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