We are greatly inspired by the vision of our Honb’le Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi ji to strengthen strategically important corridor, the INSTC and simultaneously uphold the 70 year long diplomatic ties between India & Russia, being jointly announced by the Honb’le Russian President Vladimir Putin and our Honb’le Prime Minister at Goa during BRICS summit early this year. To convert this vision into reality KMSC has been directed by the Ministry of Indian External Affairs, hence is organising the India Russia Friendship Motor Rally.
Kalinga Motor Sports Club – KMSC is based out of Bhubaneswar and has conducted 4 similar International events [India – Nepal; BBIN – Bangladesh Bhutan India Nepal, IMT – India Myanmar Thailand & IMT – II 2017] under the aegis of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways since the year 2015. People from all these countries were participants in the last friendship motor rallies, thus developing strong bond as people to people contact.
Russia and India are celebrating the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic relationship and to enhance it further, this event would act as a bonding agent. To commemorate these 70 year old landmarks of friendship, diplomacy and independence, year 2017-18 will see a series of celebrations of art, culture, films festivals, business seminars, exchange programs and many more events across both the countries. And “India Russia Friendship Motor Rally ” is one of the activities.
“India Russia Friendship Motor Rally ”
“Be a part of the history”
India Leg (Download the Itinerary )
Basic Objective : Showcasing India Russia JV in India
Period of the event : 20th February to 14th March 2018
Distance to be covered : 8500 km by road
Participants : 20 Teams, 60-70 people
Nationality : India & Russia
Vehicles : 22 SUVs by Mahindra & Mahindra
The friendship rally gets flagged off on 20th February 2018 from Bhilai Steel Plant in Chhattisgarh to travel through Ranchi, Bokaro, Bhubaneswar, Vizag Steel Plant to reach Hyderabad; the caravan will move to Chennai followed by Neyveli, Kundankulam, Bangalore to reach Goa for an extra days halt. The epic journey continues to Revanda, Maharashtra, where Afanasy Nikitin, the famous Russian traveller from Tver, Russia landed in the 15th Century. The friendship rally now rolls towards Mumbai, Amdavad and then Jamnagar to visit Reliance-SIBUR JV. We then proceed to Rishikesh to visit The India Russia JVs, Antibiotic Manufacturing unit and Tehri Hydro Power Station. The India leg concludes at New Delhi on 14th March 2018.
Russian Leg
Basic Objective : People to people Connect & celebration of
70 years of Diplomatic Relationship
Period of the event : 29th April to 16th May 2018
Distance to be covered : 5700 km by road 900 nm by sea
Participants : 20 Teams, 60-70 people
Nationality : India, Russia, Iran & Azerbaijan
Vehicles : 22 SUVs by Mahindra & Mahindra
The friendship rally gets officially flagged off from New Delhi after the end of the INDIA LEG to reach Mumbai on its way to Moscow then to Saint Petersburg in Russia to reaffirm the Seven decade old diplomatic ties between Russia and India.
The route involves shipping of vehicles from Kandla/Nhava Sheva Port to Bandar Abbas in Iran. The team members will drive the cars through Shiraz, Persepolis, Isfahan to reach Tehran. A business seminar will be conducted at the Iranian capital. The caravan will proceed through the coastal city of Azerbaijan, Lankaran for Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan. A business seminar has also been planned there too.
The caravan enters Russia from the land border crossing at Samur to have its first Russian night halt at Makhachakla on the Caspian coast, we then proceed to Astrakhan, a sister city of Amdavad, Gujarat, India. An interesting fact about Astrakhan is that it is on the distributaries of Volga River and is situated at 28 m below mean sea level. The friendship rally then moves to the historic city Volgograd [old Stalingrad where the War of Stalingrad was fought with Germans during World War II]. After a night halt at Volgograd, the caravan leaves for Voronezh, the last city before Moscow. The rally is flagged in at the Russian capital – Moscow. A business seminar has also been planned there. After two night halts in Moscow the rally traces back to Tver, a sister city of Madhubani, Bihar and Sambalpur, Odisha in India as well as the birth place of the legendary Russian traveller Afanasy Nikitin to reach Saint Petersburg.
The rally is being organized by Kalinga Motor Sports Club (KMSC), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, under the aegis of Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, and The Embassy of The Russian Federation in India.
This friendship car rally is in celebration of “70 YEARS of Diplomatic Relations between India and Russia”. KMSC has conducted a route survey covering the entire route in the month of June. While all the Indian cars are being supplied by Mahindra & Mahindra, KMSC is in the process of finalizing adding Russian vehicles to the convoy.
This rally will promote connectivity between Indian and Russia to boost trade and investments. The focus is to strengthen the existing friendship, cooperation in cultural spheres, tourism, science and research. It will further promote trade through the International North South Transport Corridor-INSTC. Above all, the aim of the rally is to cement direct people to people contact, which will further strengthen the existing bilateral relations.
“May the wheels of India Russia Diplomatic Relations always move forward in the FAST Lane”