GUWAHATI, Jan 18 � Come February and an extravaganza would unfold for all vintage car buffs � showcasing a fleet of the rarest of vehicles and telling tales of their owners� undying passion in preserving a part of history and heritage.
As the world is falling for retro fashion all over again, all the SUVs and modern cars would make way for the Ford Model T of 1908, Morris 8 of 1936, Jeeps of World War II and the likes, on the roads of Guwahati in a vintage car rally on February 6, where almost 40 cars � all in good condition � would participate.
Pampered by their owners as their family members, each one of these cars has a history of its own that would be described by the owners themselves while participating in the rally along with their prized possessions.
Being organised as a curtain raiser event to announce the launch of Assam Tourism Development Forum (ATDF), the car rally would be flagged off from the Nehru Stadium and would culminate in the Assam Engineering field at Chandmari after taking a round of the city covering Ganeshguri.
�A forum of all the stakeholders in the tourism industry, ATDF intends to bring the hoteliers, tour operators and service providers on one platform to promote tourism in a more vociferous way,� said Dipankar Barua, Managing Director of Landmark Hotels and one of the organisers of the event.
The car rally would also pave the way for many events by the ATDF to promote Assam tourism that includes a beach festival within March this year, a walkathon in the middle of the year and the grand Assam Winter Fest in January next year that would be a seven-day extravaganza showcasing the vibrant culture of the State. The winter fest is slated to be an annual event to attract tourists, where one would be able to enjoy exquisite dance forms, savour ethnic cuisines, and purchase all that represent the culture and spirit of Assam and know about the life and lifestyle of the State.
At the AEI field, a day-long cultural festival would be organized featuring musical events, ethnic food fests and programmes by school children. Persons interested in joining the rally may contact Ranjit Das at Hotel Landmark or through e-mail at [email protected].
