BCIM Car Rally 2013 - Home Coming

Our 3 days in Bangladesh have come to an end, but what that also meant was we'd be entering home, India. After an hour long drive, we reached the border. And there it was, across 'no man's land' - India. But before we could enter our home country, the Bangladeshis showed one last gesture of hospitality, dancing with the participants by the border. This was possibly the first time people from Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar were present at the Bangladesh - India border together and dancing! Did we just notice history in the making? I believe, we did.

The dance only acted as a catalyst to our already charged up mood! We could see children lined up, chanting and waving the BCIM flags. But there was something none of us could see from the other side or would have even anticipated; A heroic welcome! We hopped into our cars, slowly began accelerating towards India, waving and greeting kids on either side of the road. 100 meters in, we noticed what's referred to as a "Human Tunnel"! 4 rows of people lined up to meet us, to greet us and welcome us all. 4 days in, we had seen great reception in Bangladesh however, this was something that took us all by surprise. We were then lead to the reception area, where people lined up to click photos with the participants and the cars. We made our way to the dining hall, had some lunch and moved on towards the cultural programme stage.

Unlike previous cultural programmes, this was different. Why? Because these kids had one dance performance on each form of Indian dance form. Our feet were already tapping, all we needed was just one call invite and all of us would have been on the stage to join the kids for the dance. Did the invite come? Yes! Team members from Myanmar, China and India started dancing with the Bhangra dance group, the Rajasthani group and the Maharashtrian group. We knew our stay in India will be eventful to say the least.

Stay tuned for the next post. We witnessed the "real" rock and roll on our way to Imphal.

BCIM Car Rally 2013 - Day 3 - Miles to go before WE sleep...

Nothing makes you feel better than getting something you've been yearning for a while, and this is what happened with us too! Day 3 of the BCIM car rally started later than usual because of the local strike, this meant none of us had to wake up at 5 in the morning. When the control car (car #1) made the announcement on the radio that we'll be leaving later in the day as opposed to early morning, the sheer joy on everyone's face was a sight!

About 3.30 in the afternoon, the convoy had started lining up outside the hotel after a much needed long night sleep and a great meal. 20 minutes in, the radio announced: "Alright guys, convoy's rolling" and we set out towards the 3rd destination on our epic 3000 km road trip, to Sylhet in Bangladesh. 

Sylhet is about 230 Kms from Dhaka in the north eastern region of Bangladesh, and is situated near the Sheola border - India. The City is located on the northern bank of the Surma River and is surrounded by the Jaintia, Khasi and Tripura hills.

The Dhaka Police yet again gave us a pilot and made sure the convoy rolls out smoothly from the city, and 60 minutess in, we had already crossed the Dhaka border. On our way out, we crossed the Secretariat, University and many major spots in Dhaka. The first quick stop came in when we discovered the local district administration dignitaries and officials of Narshindi had planned a welcome reception. We all love surprises now, don't we? ... And the convoy continued..

After 100 Kms of drive, we came to a scheduled halt for a tea break in Brahmanbaria , where we were received by the Army's Bagpiper band. The fatigue levels dropped. Some caffeine and sandwiches were all we needed to get us rolling. By the time it was tea break, the sun had already set and we were driving in pitch dark. It was quite a sight seeing 20 cars with their hazard and head lights on, moving in a straight line. 

Tomorrow our journey in Bangladesh will come to an end. Let me take this opportunity to thank Bangladesh, on behalf of the entire BCIM Car Rally team, for a very warm hospitality. You made us feel at home. 

As I write this blog post, we are bout 70 Kms away from Sylhet. As per programme, a cultural reception awaits us at the hotel. We're positive that will take our fatigue completely away. More on this in tomorrow's blog.

Miles to go before WE sleep...