Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, February 25

Satish would not have been able to cover the 50-km route of a car rally through the streets of Patiala and its outskirts on Sunday if Puneet, a visually-impaired man, had not shown him the way. Though Satish was behind the wheel, the route map of the rally was in Braille (a form of written language for the blind). 

The unique rally saw participation of 55 cars — each navigated by a visually impaired person and driven by a person with vision. Flagged off at the Polo Ground, the rally passed through several parts of the city before culminating at its starting point. 

Holding the Braille Tulip (route map), the navigators not only guided the drivers during the course of the rally, but also cautioned them on the speed limit for each road as specified in the map.

Car rallies are usually about speed and driving skills, but the one held in the city today was different with unique teams of drivers who can see and visibly impaired navigators embarking on a 50-km journey. This rally exhibited coordination between a driver with vision and a visually impaired navigator.

Organised by the Society for Welfare of the Handicapped as part of the Heritage Festival here, the rally was a unique experience for the city residents.

All planning and groundwork was done by Royal City Riders, who conducted the rally with the help of the local traffic police.

Visually impaired navigators, who participated in the rally, came from Nagaland, Rajasthan, Tripura, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Punjab. 

Col Satish said, “I participated in this rally for the first time and the experience was really good. I have participated in several car rallies, but this was altogether different. I had a great time with my navigator Puneet.”

“It was one of the best experiences of my life. The route was really tough as we went into the small bylanes of villages in Patiala district. There was a speed limit and also a stipulated time to reach every checkpoint what made the driving a challenge. Anyhow, it was really exciting,” said 29-year-old Puneet, who teaches music at Kendra Vidyalaya in Ludhiana. He said this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, adding that it made him more confident and now he could achieve anything in life.

Col Karminder Singh, secretary, Society for Welfare of the Handicapped, said, “The car rally was organised professionally. There were no hiccups or complaints from the participants. The main idea was to empower the visually impaired.”