Around 70 vintage and classic cars and more than a dozen bikes from yesteryears took to the streets of Calcutta and drove from Calcutta Club to Anandapur, off EM Bypass, on Sunday.

The Vintage and Classic Car Rally gave an opportunity to the owners of the golden oldies to drive their prized possessions across the city.

Whenever anyone came to take a close look at the cars or click photographs, the owners explained to him or her the need to maintain social distancing and personal hygiene to keep Covid-19 at bay.

On display was a 1913 Stoewer, a 1928 Studebaker, a 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster Sport Sedan, a 1951 Mercury Sport Sedan and a Rolls Royce Phantom III from 1937, among others.

The rally was organised by the Automobile Association of Eastern India (AAEI) and the Classic Drivers' Club.

Prithvi Tagore, an organiser of the rally, said the idea was to keep the cars running as well as to let Calcuttans have a glimpse of the city’s rich motoring heritage. “Calcutta was the car capital once and we want to make people aware that such cars do exist and despite being so old, they still run,” said Tagore, who drove a 1963 Fiat Super Select.

One of the oldest cars was a 1928 Studebaker, which was driven by Pallab Roy.“This was a great event. We had the chance to go around the city on a Sunday morning with so many other cars around and it was the perfect mix of the beauties of the past with the city of the present,” said Roy.

Taste fest

Lee Maan Ki from Hong Kong B. Halder

The curtain came down on the seventh edition of the IIHM Young Chef Olympiad, in association with t2, on Saturday. The competition, which was held virtually this year, saw participants from more than 50 countries fight it out over five days. Lee Maan Ki from Hong Kong was declared the winner of the Golden Trophy. The UAE won the Silver Trophy, while New Zealand won the Bronze. Streamed from the IIHM Global Campus, Sector V, the evening was a mix of fun, performances and great food.

Suborno Bose B. Halder

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Suborno Bose, chairman, IIHM Young Chef Olympiad, said: “The 7th IIHM Young Chef Olympiad this year on a virtual platform was a marriage of top-class culinary skills and cutting-edge technology. It's one of the most exciting experiences connecting 50 countries over 24 time zones.
This year it’s all about hope and bouncing back and so we called it Hope YCO.”

Reporting by Aniruddha Biswas