Lavasa Women’s Drive, India’s largest women’s car rally is flagged off with great fanfare

Lavasa Women’s Drive, India’s largest women’s car rally is flagged off with great fanfare

Over 1000 women participate in the Drive to raise awareness about issues affecting women & attempt a Guinness World Record

Actor Elli Avram  with Anuradha Paraskar (Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales, Lavasa Corporation Limited) flagging the cars at Lavasa Women’s Drive 2014, India’s largest women’s car rally

 

Bollywood actor Kunal Kapoor, Devieka Bhojwani (Vice President of Women’s Cancer Initiative-Tata Memorial Hospital) and Anuradha Paraskar (Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales, Lavasa Corporation Limited) cheering the participants at the flag off event of Lavasa Women’s Drive 2014

Celebrity actor Kunal Kapoor with Anuradha Paraskar (Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales, Lavasa Corporation Limited) and Devieka Bhojwani (Vice President of Women’s Cancer Initiative-Tata Memorial Hospital) at the flag off event of Lavasa Women’s Drive 2014, India’s largest women’s car rally

Mumbai, February 22, 2014: The 6^th edition of Lavasa Women’s Drive (LWD), India’s largest women’s car rally saw 2000 women drive to Lavasa from Mumbai and Pune with great zeal in a show of women’s empowerment. The flag off event at Kamla Mills, Mumbai saw women parading their 4 wheel beauties decked with impactful messages on women related issues with great élan.

In Mumbai, the flag off event was a star-studded affair with Bollywood celebrities like Kunal Kapoor, Manish Paul, ­­­Ashmit Patel and Elli Avram flagging the cars and boosting the morale of the spirited women. The first car to roll out was the Rosy car driven by Prachi Mishra. In all 350 cars were flagged of from Mumbai. The participants dressed in exclusively designed T shirts were seen driving a range of cars to compete and raise awareness for a social cause.

Participants made it to the cool picturesque Lavasa following the rules set by Indian Automotive Racing Club (IARC) on the 240 km stretch with the help of a tulip chart. The drive was in Time-Distance-Speed format (TDS). Participants entered Lavasa to a rousing reception as they were welcomed with flowers and a special theme song beautifully rendered by well known singer Shibani Kashyap

Participants of this year’s Lavasa Women’s Drive highlighted burning issues of violence against women, declining ratio of girls apart from inspirational messages from the cancer survivor participants.

Ms. Anuradha Paraskar, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales, Lavasa Corporation Limited, saluting the spirit of the participants said, “Lavasa Women’s Drive has grown bigger, setting new milestones with each passing year. This year the participants collectively polled a record 32 lakh votes from their acquaintances from over 100 countries to get themselves selected for the drive. The drive has emerged as a platform for the modern Indian women to show their indomitable spirit by taking up new challenges and boldly display their concerns on issues affecting women.   

After making it consecutively to the Limca Book of Records for the last 3 years, we are now attempting to set a new Guinness World Record. All this has been made possible only due to the tremendous support Lavasa Women’s Drive gets from the participants.”     

Lavasa Women’s Drive has actively supported the cause of Women's Cancer prevention through early detection since 2009. A large part of money collected through registration, is donated to Women's Cancer Initiative - Tata Memorial Hospital

Devieka Bhojwani-Vice President of Women’s Cancer Initiative-Tata Memorial Hospital said, “In the 6^th year of Lavasa Women’s Drive, the enthusiasm and determination of all participants is astounding. Looking at the cars decorated with messages lining up early in the morning and the cheering from family members is a delight. I am happy that the message for early detection of cancer is reaching a large number of women and definitely making an impact.”

The Lavasa Women’s Drive campaign will culminate on March 8, 2014 with the Awards Ceremony in Mumbai to honor the winners.

Lavasa Women’s Drive (LWD) – factoids

·        LWD has been acknowledged by the Limca Book of Records as India's Largest Women's Car Rally.

·        LWD stands for the true spirit of women today that represents confident, independent, and enterprising with a penchant for social causes.

·        Participation from all walks of life – home makers, Navy officers, police force, corporate women, cancer survivors, NGO’s, etc.

·        Over the years 7000 women have participated in the drive and have garnered 3.2 million votes from 100 countries.

·        3000 cars have driven to Lavasa till date and 60 celebrities have witnessed the drive.

·        The drive has grown in stature over the last 6 years. From 100 cars to 500 cars that drive from Mumbai and Pune

·        In its 6th edition, LWD is attempting to set a Guinness world record for the ‘Largest participation of females in a motor sports event’

Lavasa Women’s Drive and cancer prevention

·        LWD primarily supports the cause of Cancer Prevention through Early Detection. A large part of money collected through registration, is donated to Women's Cancer Initiative - Tata Memorial Hospital. More than 4 million rupees has been generated towards this cause. 

·        Free cancer detection camps and workshops have been held for the economically under-privileged women from villages at Lavasa and other remote villages in Maharshtra.

Accolades

·        Limca Book of Records: National Record for the largest women’s car rally 
Year: 2011, 2012, 2013

About Lavasa

Lavasa is India’s first planned hill city where people can live, work, learn and play in harmony with nature. Lavasa, an inclusive city being developed by HCC (Hindustan Construction Company) over 10,000 hectares, is based on the principles of New Urbanism. It takes three hours from Mumbai and one hour from Pune to reach Lavasa by road. Lavasa will host a multitude of global leaders in hospitality, tourism, education, health care, business research and industry. The hill city provides a combination of contemporary and timeless architectural designs, with multiple options for housing including rental housing, apartments and villas. With state-of-the-art infrastructure and amenities, the city enables people to live life in full.