All-women rickshaw rally turns 21; to finish up in Goa on March 8

Chennai: "Terrifying" is how Emma Sayle describes Indian roads. But the entrepreneur from the UK is leading a team of 34 participants from the UK who are driving from Chennai to Goa as part of the ‘Let's Goa 2026 Rickshaw Rally'. "I learnt driving on the streets of Cairo, Egypt, where I lived as a teenager, and so India feels like home," she said.

The yearly rally was flagged off from Lady Andal Open School, T Nagar, on Monday evening, but with a difference: all the participants are women entrepreneurs, part of ‘The Sisterhood Group' from the UK. The group will be on the road for the next one week, in 13 autos, and will travel 1,000km to reach Goa on March 8, international women's day.


"Most of them are seeing an auto for the first time in their lives, and learnt to drive them within an hour on Sunday. But they're ready to do what it takes," said Siddarth, Madras Round Table 42 chairman.

Among the participants are event managers, tech entrepreneurs, ad developers, marketing and travel agents, PR professionals and more. "The Sisterhood Group does races, and swimming across the English Channel and more. So, we are used to adventure," said Emma.

"Driving in England is no fun as everything is orderly and controlled," said Emma, for whom it's her third trip. "Here it's going to be all over the place. Once you start, you're on your own, breakdowns et al. We just end up in the same destination." But the responsibility is huge, she added. "There are moms and grandmoms in the group, and their safety is primary."

The Rickshaw Rally has been going on for the past 21 years and raises funds on the way. Last year, the rally raised more than 1 crore. "The funds will go to women-centric vocational training, and after school training for underprivileged girls so they get better equipped for job placements," said Siddarth.