As many as 30 auto rickshaws, driven by volunteers from different countries, arrived in Coimbatore on Wednesday.
They are on a 2,500 km journey from Kanniyakumari to Ahmedabad, driving through Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Gujarat to raise funds for a social cause.
Termed ‘Rickshaw Run’, the project is an initiative by Sewa UK, a charity based in Birmingham, England, to raise funds for Cochlea Pune for Hearing and Speech.
The Rotary Club of Coimbatore Manchester and Saksham, a charitable organisation based in Nagpur, Maharashtra, felicitated the members at a function held here on Wednesday. As many as 90 participants of the charity project had arrived in Coimbatore from Madurai.
The participants were received near Muthugoundenpudur Flyover, Sulur, on Wednesday evening, said R. Senthil Rajagopal, treasurer, Rotary Club of Coimbatore Manchester.
They were from countries such as Australia, Kenya and England. They would stop at 11 cities during the 12 day tour, creating awareness about the project.
Krishan Attri, one of the participants from the U.K, described the Rickshaw Run project as “something unique” and had decided to get on board for its cause. “Our motto is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The world is one family in Sanskrit),” he said. Mr. Attri served in the British Armed Forces and said that he had participated in 82 marathons till date.
Rashmita Shah, who is also from the U.K., said that she decided to take part in this project to “give back to our people.” “We all started from Kanniyakumari on the morning of December 10,” she said.
Another participant, Vinod Kerai from Sydney, Australia, said that his wife, son and daughter have participated in this project of covering nearly 2,500 km.
According to a press release from Saksham, the money raised (expected to raise nearly ₹4 crore) though the project will be used to construct a hospital for Cochlea Pune for Hearing and Speech charity organisation. The auto rickshaws will proceed from Coimbatore to Karnataka through Bannari and Hasanur in Erode district on Thursday, the release said.
