Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: On a bright Sunday morning, citizens of Panaji were witness to vintage cars, right from a green Hindustan Motors Contessa to a green Chevrolet truck and a convoy of bikes driving past their homes on the second day of the Panjim Carnaval.
The classic vehicles were part of the Vintage Car Drive, which was flagged off by Ravi Dhawan, MD and CEO of Imagine Panaji Smart City, Agnelo Fernandes, Commissioner of the City of Panaji, Vivek Parsekar of CCP, Pradeep Naik, from the Samba Square as part of the Panjim City Carnaval celebrations.
Organised by Goa Vintage and Classic Automobile Club, lead by the dynamic Pradeep Nayak, the convoy was led by a fleet of 20+ Harley Davidson bikers, followed by 50+ vintage bikes and cars. Sleek well kept Mercedes cars, a bright yellow Volkswagen, Premiere Padmini and a red Dodge Motors were part of the convoy. The fleet of vehicles drove across the city right up to Dona Paula and converged back at Samba Square.
Proud owners of some of Goa’s most well kept and swanky vintage cars took to the streets to proudly drive their vehicles around the city.
“I am passionate about vintage vehicles which led to me organising my very first vintage car rally in 2004. Since then, I have organised many vintage drives. Today’s drive is our effort to bring this excitement to the Carnaval celebrations in Panaji and keep the carnival spirits high,” explained Pradeep Naik, who organised the vintage drive.
Meanwhile, children’s activities and the pop-up stalls will continue at the Samba Square from 4pm onwards on all days till 1 March. To set the mood for the evening, music acts and bands will perform through the evening. All day long, food stalls are whipping up an array of culinary delights and beverages, including pizzas, small bites, meals, and more.
A stray dog adoption zone was set up by Animal Assist and Rescue for individuals to encourage citizens to adopt strays and give them a home. The zone has been set up at the samba square so that children can be encouraged to care for the strays.
The Mandovi Promenade has set up over 50 stalls at the beautifully decorated venue, where foodpreneurs have a delicious spread of cuisine on offer. From the humble chicken poie to sushi and tall glasses of fresh juices, there is something that can appeal to everyone’s palette.
