The 6th biennial Indo-Bhutan car rally will see participants from Assam, Gangtok, Arunachal Pradesh and other Indian states this year. In the past years, there were participants only from Bengal and Bhutan. This time’s rally will be held to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations between Bhutan and India. It will be held from 11-13 March.
The ceremonial start up of the car rally will be held in four different places: Assam, Guwahati, Gangtok, and Kolkata. The participants will gather in Siliguri from where the competition would begin and end in Thimphu. They will cover a total distance of around 2000 kilometres, but for the actual competition they will cover only about 450 kilometres.
A team from Bengal Motor Sports Club was in Bhutan to finalise the route. “Most people think that from Phuntsholing to Thimphu, it’s a very simple way, we can climb up. This time, we have made it a bit different. We have gone through the rivers near Pasakha. So we have to drive down for around 20 to 25 kilometres on the river bed. Then you come up to Passakha and then to Thimphu,” said Arun Bhatia, the Secretary General of Bengal Motor Sports Club.
He also said, it is important for the Bhutanese to equally participate in the rally. Only a few participants from Bhutan took part in the past rallies. “It is not only about organising competition, It’s about bringing people in and making people understand about the culture, to see the nature, to see the beauty, to see what Bhutan has to offer. It is also about travel and tourism,” added Arun Bhatia.
The Indo-Bhutan Friendship Association organised the first car rally in 2007, in recognition of the strong bond of friendship that Bhutan and India share.
