Organised by Maharashtra Regional Transport Authority member, Baba Shinde, the contest saw autorickshaws in the fray from Pune, Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli and Panvel.
It was a beauty contest with a difference as 70 squeaky-clean autorickshaws competed for the top slots. Some sported vintage monograms, others snazzy gizmos and some just bright colours.
They were participating in the Rickshaw Fashion Show 2011 held on the Bharati Vidyapeeth campus at Dhankavdi on Sunday. Organised by Maharashtra Regional Transport Authority member, Baba Shinde, the contest saw autorickshaws in the fray from Pune, Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli and Panvel.
These were no run-of-the-mill autorickshaws. They had safety equipment like fire extinguishers, first aid boxes, coin box telephones, fans and even air-conditioners. Some had LCD monitors, music systems and remote-controlled devices.
Autorickshaw driver, Santosh Jadhav from Sangli was the cynosure of all eyes as he performed wheelies (balancing the three-wheeler on just two wheels). Santosh said he could perform wheelies at 60 kmph even in reverse gear.
Sundar Gosavi of Karad provides a letter box for his passengers. “Senior citizens find this useful,” he said.
Deepak Powar of Kolhapur offers free service to visually and physically challenged persons. He screens films on his DVD player in the autorickshaw. “My auto is recognized from far as I adorn it with two saffron flags. My passengers know me and they always prefer my vehicle,” he said.
Powar’s cousin, Prashant Khade, is popular in Kolhapur for his ‘Kolhapur Darshan’ autorickshaw for it ferries devotees to the Mahalaxmi temple and other sites.
Pune autorickshaw driver, Santosh Vinayak Ingawale told DNA, “For me, when a passenger says ‘thank you’, it makes my day.”
Sachin Jadhav from Pune, who won a consolation prize for having an air-conditioner in his autorickshaw said, “People call me and book my services on my cellphone.”
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