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Gaurav Gill inches closer to defend his Rally of Arunachal crown
Itanagar, Nov 3 (IANS) Team Mahindra Adventure racer and defending champion Gaurav Gill emerged victorious on the opening day of the third round of the MRF-FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) here on Saturday.
Gill asserted his supremacy by taking the lead on day one of the Rally of Arunachal as four our of the seven stages were completed on the day.
Competing in the first tarmac rally of the year, Gill carried the favourite tag post his wins in the opening two rounds in Chennai and Coimbatore.
The ace rallyist along with Musa Sherif as co-driver completed the total four stages of the total distance for an aggregate timing of 31:22.9 minutes to stay ahead of the pack.
The three-time Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) champion and his co-driver were in a class of their own, winning three of the four stages on Saturday much to the delight of awe-struck fans.
Gill, however faced an early setback losing 5 seconds after a tyre of his Super XUV500 burst.
“The first stage went off very well. We, however, hit a stone in Stage 2 and picked up a puncture,” the five-time INRC champion said.
“We still managed to finish in decent time, which helped us stay in the lead,” he added.
Gill explained that the final day might be tricky as the track was likely to be muddy following rains while they only had tyres suited for tarmac.
“It won’t be easy but we will give it our best shot,” he declared.
Meanwhile, Snap Racing’s Phalguna Urs and Srikanth, driving the Volkswagen Polo, were the surprise factors of the day, taking the second position with an impressive timing of 32:54.7 minutes.
They showed a lot of speed and power in the first three stages but faltered in the fourth stage to hold on to second position overnight.
Gill’s teammate Amittrajit Ghosh with Ashwin Naik as co-driver clocked an aggregate timing of 33:05.1 minutes to finish third.
Both the INRC-1 competitors will be looking to improve their standing on the second day of the competition on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, the Rally of Arunachal at National Highway 425 from Chimpu to Hollongi near Itanagar, was flagged off by state DGP S.B.K. Singh.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.