Vintage cars grab eyeballs on city roads
LUCKNOW MAHOTSAV Part of the festival, the car-motorbike rally showcases models as old as Ford A Roadster of 1928 and Austin Chummy of 1937
The vintage car rally organised under the aegis of the Lucknow Mahotsav exhibited 30 classic cars and over 20 motorcycles on city roads, on Sunday morning. The drive was flagged off from Hazratganj, from where it moved thorough the old city before culminating at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Gomtinagar.
Moving through the city traffic, these vehicles grabbed all eyes with their pomp and beauty.
“The oldest cars in the rally were the 1928 models of Ford A and Ford A Roadster. Austin Chummy of 1937 and Standard Coventry of 1934 were also exhibited,” said Sandeep Das, secretary of the vintage car and motorcycle club of Lucknow, which facilitated the drive organised by Hindustan Petroleum. Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav felicitated the owners of the seven oldest car models showcased in the rally, at the inaugural function organised at heritage street, Hussainabad.
“Traffic on the streets of Lucknow has grown so much. The number of vehicles continues to increase with every passing year, which isn’t a pleasant experience for pedestrians. However, after a long time, our view of the roads was a pleasant one – when we saw these vintage cars moving in a line,” said octogenarian Sudhir Gupta from Old city. The drive also provided ample selfie opportunities to people. DEMONETISATION HAS HIT HARD: STALL OWNERS
A footfall of about one lakh was recorded on the last Sunday of the Lucknow Mahotsav, said organisers. But this brought little cheer to the stall owners who said that unlike previous years, this time people stayed away from shopping.
“Visitors used to buy shawls and woollens from Mahotsav stalls. That’s why we carried a wide range with us. But this year, due to cash crunch, people are not spending much on clothes,” said Riyaz Ahmad from Kashmir who has his kiosk at the fair. Another shopkeeper, Shariq, who has a furniture stall, said, “Despite us accepting `500 notes, people are not buying much from the Mahotsav, this time. The response hasn’t been what we have seen in the previous years.” Members of the organising committee also agreed that artisans had got a poor response from buyers at this year’s festival. A tourism department official said, “People preferred small purchases and enjoyed the Mahotsav as a mela. They sampled food, took rides on swings but did not make heavy purchases.” The 10-day exhibition-cum-cultural-festival at Smriti Upvan, Ashiana, will conclude on Monday.