Srinagar (J&K) – 10th October: The Indian Air Force (IAF) and Uttarakhand War Memorial (UWM) historic car rally arrived in Srinagar amidst chants of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai.” This first-of-its-kind IAF car rally is covering 7,000 kilometers from the Siachen Air Base in Thoise to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, with a grand finale in Delhi scheduled for mid-November.
Fifteen Jimny 4×4 vehicles are being driven by senior Air Warriors along India’s great highways. Among the participants are two women Army officers, both renowned mountaineers—one of whom is an Everest summiteer. They were given a grand send-off in Leh by Lt. Governor Brigadier (Retd.) B.D. Mishra, along with thousands of Ladakhi youth. In Srinagar, a similar grand farewell is being planned by top dignitaries.
The Air Warriors were welcomed at the Srinagar Air Base by Air Commodore Prabhat Malik, the Station Commander, and Mr. Tarun Vijay, the Chairman of the Uttarakhand War Memorial.
The rally is being led by Wing Commander Vijay Prakash Bhatt, a renowned adventurist. The goal of the rally is to inspire youth to join the IAF, appreciate its great achievements, develop respect for the armed forces, and experience the life of a soldier. The rally’s slogan in Hindi is “Sada Vijeta Vayu Veer, Sada Vijeta Bharat”—meaning “Ever Victorious India, Ever Invincible IAF.”
