First Indian To Finish Dakar Rally Buys Aircraft: Conducts Traditional Pooja
In India, motorsports is slowly gaining popularity among spectators. We now have several teams and personalities that people recognise. Many have even participated in international events. One such event is the Dakar, which is considered the toughest race in the world. The first Indian to actually participate in this rally was Mr. Sanjay Takale. We recently came across a social media post where he shared an image of his new aircraft. Not only did he buy a plane, but he also performed pooja on it in the traditional Indian way.
The images have been shared by Sanjana Takale on her Instagram page. In this post, we see Sanjay and his family standing next to a small aircraft. The images have been posted with the caption, “An important milestone for our family ?
Hamad Air Charters LLC-FZ Dubai UAE, a new company established by my dad, also bought our first charter ✈️ By God’s blessing we were able to hit the milestone. May God keep blessing us and may all our well-wishers be by our side always ❤️”
Sanjay has started a new venture, and the aircraft seen in the post is actually part of it. It looks like the company is registered in Dubai, UAE, but the images are from India. It appears that the aircraft was flown to India just to get it blessed the Indian way.
We see a priest standing in front of the aircraft performing rituals and poojas before starting the business. In India, no matter how small or big the vehicle is, we always think of it as a part of our family and welcome it. That is what Sanjay is seen doing here.
The aircraft seen here is a small one, and it looks like Hamad Air Charters offers training programmes to those who are interested in learning how to fly. The organisation aims at creating a new generation of skilled aviators. Along with training, the company is also offering services like chartered domestic and international flights and air ambulance services to different parts of the country.
Sanjay Takale, who is an international rally driver, also owns a flying licence, and we see him in the picture too. He is also the chairman of this venture.
https://www.instagram.com/sanjay_takale/?hl=en
He was the first Indian to participate in and finish the Dakar Rally in the 4W category. The 56-year-old competed in the Dakar Rally this year in his Toyota Land Cruiser HZJ78 along with co-driver Maxime Raud.
As mentioned above, this is one of the toughest races in the world, and Sanjay survived the challenge and finished in the 18th position overall.
For those who don’t know, Sanjay Takale has been professionally racing for over three decades now. He has collected more than 70 wins in India and abroad. He also won the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship Production Cup in 2013.
In the Dakar, Sanjay entered the Classic class with technical support from the French team Compagnie Saharienne. This class is reserved for vehicles manufactured before 2005, and participants in this category are given a different route suitable for these vehicles.