Motor Sport in India

People who say that motor sport is not popular in India either have not visited India or are blind to what surrounds them. Motor sport is more popular in India than it is anywhere else in the world. The popularity I am talking about is among the active participants. It may not be very organized but the per capita motor sport motor sport participation in India is larger than anywhere else in the world. If you still don't agree with me, consider the following.

Off road driving
Japs and Americans make a large quantity of off-road vehicles also called SUVs. Those are supposed to be driven off roads but most of those people who bay them use them just to transport themselves to the work and back. Off-road driving, thanks to the people responsible for making and maintaining roads, is too common in India and people participating in it are not limited to drives of SUVs but includes small 800cc cars as well. Driving on a majority of roads in India gives you the experience of off road driving. JV Link Road the road in front of my home and the blisters on my arse are a good example of it.

Drag racing
Drag racing is driving insanely fast over a very short distance. This can be seen at any traffic signal. People go like a bat out of hell as the light turns green and stop after 50 meters at another signal or traffic jam.

Dodge'em
This is a kind of motor sport played only on computers or video games in other countries but I play it, like it or not, every day. This sport includes driving on a road with more pot holes than tarmac while avoiding the pedestrians, dogs, cattle, pot holes, garbage dumps and other vehicles coming towards you from the opposite direction. The objective is to cross over to the other side (your destination) without smashing into anything. Unlike the video or computer versions of this game, here you get only one life to play with.

Chicken
Rules are meant to be broken and driving in your lane is no exception. You can see a man coming from the opposite direction in your lane. I guess I don't need to explain how "Chicken" is played. People here are quite daring as they are playing this game in cars with no airbags and even on two wheelers.

Rowing
Yes I'm talking about motor sport, not water sport and if you think it's not possible, you should drive in India during monsoon. Andheri Kurla Road is a good example of it and what makes this sport even more challenging is the fact that you don't have a boat, but a car/bike.

Kho-kho
Kho-kho is a game played in India where one teams run and the other team sitting in a row, with alternate player facing opposite sides, try to catch them. This game is played on a much bigger scale as well that includes a lot more players, a lot bigger field (the entire road) and the players not only running but riding and driving as well. You are driving peacefully and on both sides, your left and right, is a never ending queue of auto-rickshaws. Suddenly any one of them will jump right in front of you.

So you see, if you thought there was not enough motor sports in India, it was mostly because of your ignorance and your inability so see things around you.