The 4th edition of the JK Tyre Times Women’s Drive served as a platform to empower and celebrate the indomitable spirit of womanhood
Deepa Malik, Anshuman Singhania, Meenakashi Lekhi flagging off TWD
Women of the 21st century are undoubtedly self-assured, and their passion knows no age limits. A glimpse of this passion was seen at the exhilarating women’s drive, organised by The Times of India in association with JK Tyre. The 4th edition of the Times Women’s Drive North Chapter from Delhi to Jaipur was a grand success. Previously, between 2019 and 2022, three successive drives to Chandigarh, Jaipur, and Agra have taken place. This year, nearly 300 women and approximately 96 cars partook in the enthralling motorsports rally.The event kicked off on a high note as the chief guest, Meenakashi Lekhi, Union Minister of State, External Affairs & Culture, Government of India, cheered and expressed her appreciation for all the women participants for having put in the effort to creatively deck up their cars ahead of the race. She said, “Women not only participate, but they also win the races.” She further added, “The government is trying to do everything to empower women. Women are big savers. In the past nine and a half years, women have been empowered as they have been provided with toilets, mudra loans, jan dhan bank accounts, PM Awas Yojana, and much more. Thus, women have reached from economic to social to political empowerment. So, with 33 per cent reservation in politics, from the bottom to the top level, you are everywhere and being part of policy making at every step, you are making your presence felt.” The drive was flagged off early morning from Siri Fort Auditorium in Delhi and continued till Jaipur. Adding an element of challenge and precision to the drive was the classic TSD (Time, Speed, and Distance) format.
All the winners of the evening
Rooting for the women participants, the guest of honour, Anshuman Singhania, Managing Director of JK Tyre & Industries Ltd, said, “It is such a wonderful morning to see so many participants and so many women coming forward. Just going around and seeing the varied themes shows that the participants have given it their all.” Each team fervently steered and navigated all the way to Jaipur. Each participant’s car was adorned with powerful messages to raise awareness on various social issues including mental health, dog adoption, women empowerment, anti-smoking, anti-drug, etc.The special guest, Deepa Malik, Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awardee, inspired the participants by sharing her poignant story and said, “My life has been about wheels. Post paralysis, when I was made to sit on the wheelchair, a lot of accusations, stereotypes, and doubts came my way relating to my ability to do something while sitting on this wheelchair. Had I not been in love with wheels, I probably wouldn’t be alive today.”
Rally Winner. Winner- Car 86. Team – Dessert Girl. Vanishree & Rajni
The drive was followed by a gala awards night. During the prize distribution ceremony, which took place in Jaipur in the evening, Sanjiv Kaura, CEO, Times Foundation, said, “All of you are unstoppable women of India. We all can simply bask in the glory of your energy. Getting everyone’s energies on board for such a great cause is commendable.” The guest of honour, Anuj Kathuria, President, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd, said, “It is a pleasure being here amongst all of you. I believe that we as a society should celebrate women and womanhood.”The chief guest of the evening, Chhavi Rajawat, first MBA Sarpanch and former Sarpanch of Soda village, addressed the women participants and said, “Congratulations to all of you because I think all of us are winners in our own right. I applaud all of you for having taken the time out to do something challenging. We are all empowered and we all have the potential to make a difference.”
1st Runner Up- Car no 32. Southern Dust. Gayatri & Jyoti
Car number 86, team ‘Desert Girls’, driven by Vanishree and Rajni, was declared the winner of the rally. Car number 32, team ‘Southern Girls’, driven by Gayatri and Jyoti, and car number 44, team ‘Nitika’, driven by Nina Jain, Gitika, and Meenakshi, were declared to be the first runner-up and second runner-up, respectively. Furthermore, car number 21, team ‘VSD’, driven by Shefali, Vineeta and Dipti, received the ‘novice category’ award which was introduced for the first time in Times Women’s Drive. The award was specially introduced to felicitate and encourage those who partook in the motorsports rally for the first time. Several other winners for contests, including the best social message on the cars and the most socially active team, were also presented. The fun-filled evening was hosted by RJ Tripti from Ishq FM
2nd Runner Up- Car No 44. Team name- Nitika, Nina Jain, Gitika & Meenakshi
The event was supported by JK Tyre (Title and Knowledge Partner), Asus (Technology Partner), W (Styling Partner), Mobil 1 (Lubricant Partner), Belle Wear-Teenage Bra (Comfort Partner), Karcher (Cleaning Solution Partner), Whatr (Hydration Partner), Medulence (Healthcare Partner), Aqua Shui Water (Gifting Partner), Schweppes, (Beverage Partner) and Ishq FM (Radio Partner).
Novice Category. Car No. 21. Team Name : VSD. Shefali, Vineeti, Dipti
Winners of Times Women’s Drive RallyWinner – Car no. 86Team name: Desert Girls (Vanishree and Rajni)1st Runner up – Car no. 32Team name: Southern Girls (Gayatri and Jyoti)2nd Runner up -Car no. 44Team name: Nikita(Nina Jain, Gitika and Meenakshi)Novice category award: Team ‘VSD’ (Shefali, Vineeta and Dipti
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