Rallying for a lost era

While most of the Dadar residents waved and let out whoops of surprise, some dazed ones were left wondering whether they had stepped into a different era. And the few who happened to get in the way of Niloufer8217;s Ford, were rudely awakened8217; by her whistle.

But people in most places enjoyed the unique march of indistinguishable models of cars while policemen waved the vehicles ahead 8212; signal or no signal, as long as the road was clear. Others found the sight plain amusing, particularly someone like Niloufer, wearing her grandfather8217;s hat 8212; a feta or phata she isn8217;t sure and mascara on her upper lip that pretended to be a moustache, to complete her Parsi look8217;. From the 1920s? 8220;Bawas are always dressed the same, any era,8221; she said.

Filmmaker Nasir Hussain8217;s loss was the Eapens8217; gain. Aamir Khan8217;s uncle once planned a remake of Hollywood superhit Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He bought the Ford for the purpose but never got around making the film. Result 8212; 8220;we got it,8221; said Niloufer.

Giving Niloufer company in the costume section was 53-year-old Dharmendra Vallabhdas dressed as a Rajasthani to go with his car, a 1938 Morris 8 bought from Jaipur. Vallabhdas has also driven the ageless Morris all over the country, to places like Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bhopal and Lucknow. 8220;And people expect these old cars to break down at every step,8221; he said.

In fact, hardly any vehicle had mechanical problems. They sometimes stopped but never for causes that a good push could not fix. If there was any trouble, it was in navigation.

Vehicles got lost, check points 8212; 14 in all, seven one way 8212; were missed. Someone like Niloufer had a tougher time because her car had neither an odometer nor a speedometer. And navigator Sarita was doing the job for the first time. Sarita missed four check points, also called marshals. Just one miss will attract a disqualification and the team is out of the contest, although they try and complete the round.

8220;I hope the other women8217;s team has missed five,8221; Sarita said optimistically towards the end of the rally. There were three women8217;s teams, including Niloufer who had Sarita and a friend from England Ann Croft-Pearman for company.

Croft-Pearman visits India with her husband every year at a time that 8220;coincides with the rally8221;. She herself participates in rallies abroad and has two vintages, including a 1955 Jaguar. But she loves watching 8220;sit up and beg cars8221;, she said, pointing to a passing Morris.

Big Chief Red Thunder shattered the atmosphere, till then subjected only to the purring of the gleaming oldies. Adil Limbuwalla8217;s Indian Chief 8212; a 1060 CC monster 8212; was one of the 20-odd bikes in competition, the oldest of which was a 1911 Triumph.

8220;It8217;s cool to ride, even if it is many times heavier than the modern bikes,8221; explained Limbuwalla.

Weighty bikes are no a problem for Anahita Dastur. The commerce student from H R College 8212; riding her uncle Farroakhi Bengali8217;s 1958 Triumph in the rally 8212; takes a 1957 BSA B 31 to college.

So while it was an occasion for the rest, it was just another regular day for Anahita.