Excitement reigned supreme as they traversed the city in search of clues and explored routes that were hitherto uncharted by many.
The resolve shown by the participants of The Maruti Suzuki- The Hindu MetroPlus ‘Heels on Wheels All Women Treasure Hunt Car Ride’ organised here on Sunday, ensured that there was no dearth of thrill and entertainment.
The event, which was organised as part of the International Women’s Day celebrations, was flagged off from the Hilton Garden Inn. Nearly 60 all-women teams — each consisting of a driver and a navigator — participated in the competition, solving riddles and reaching pre-determined spots to collect clues and proceed.
Nine destinations
The contestants had to reach nine destinations, of which seven were clue points where organisers provided a letter each, all of which when placed together formed the word ‘Refresh’, referring to the refreshed look of The Hindu . The teams covered 30 km on two routes —Kazhakuttam and Thiruvallam — as they passed by the landmarks and two Maruti Suzuki showrooms before heading for the finishing point within a maximum duration of two-and-a-half hours. The team comprising Soumya Sanathanan and Sosy Thomas came first in the competition after completing the task in 1 hour and 15 minutes. The first and second runners-up were the duos Neethu Krishna and K. Bindu, and Bindu and Sharmila Anirudhan, respectively.
Special encouragement prizes were also given away for the three teams that came next in the rankings. They were Sreeja Ayalur Kodakara and Rohini Valsala (fourth prize), Meenakshi S. Nair and Meera (fifth prize) and N. Anuroopa and T. Nagammal (sixth prize). The team of Asha Biju and Maya Gomez secured the best rally outfit award.
Shashi Tharoor, MP, the chief guest at the valedictory function, who gave away the awards to the winners, was all praise for the organisers for having come up with a competition that provided a fun-filled getaway for women who usually faced a lack of options of things to do and places to explore in the city. “The success of the event must embolden the organisers to widen the scope of the competition and increase participation in the next edition,” he said.
Mr. Tharoor also extended rich compliments to The Hindu for its revamped Sunday edition which, he said, made the newspaper ‘exceptionally world-class and extraordinary.’ Saraswathy Nagarajan, Deputy Editor, The Hindu MetroPlus , presided over the valedictory session. Arun Prasad, area manager, Maruti Suzuki; N. Sivasankaran, general manager, Canara Bank; Sheila James, proprietor, Czarina; and K.K. Joshy, senior regional general manager, The Hindu, spoke.
Earlier, flagging off the event, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order, and Traffic) Arul R.B. Krishna said that the event enabled many to explore parts of the city that were seldom visited. Titto Jose, senior manager, Indian Oil Corporation, was among those who took part. Some contestants displayed their singing and dance talent during a cultural presentation.
The first prize carried a cash award of ₹25,000 whereas the second and third prize winners were presented with cheques of ₹15,000 and ₹10,000. All teams were presented with attractive goodies, including a gift from Maruti Suzuki, fuel coupons worth Rs.500 from Indian Oil Corporation, gifts from Ray World and Toni and Guy, and discount vouchers from Daily Fish and Czarina.
Canara Bank was the banking partner for the event while Bhima Urban Scapes and Czarina Boutique were the associate sponsors. Hilton Garden Inn was the venue partner. MediaOne was the TV partner and Red FM 93.5, the radio partner. Indian Oil Corporation was the energy partner while Ray World, Toni and Guy Essensuals, and Sulfex were the gift sponsors. G.G. Hospital was the healthcare partner for the event.
