Rekla competition takes a chaotic turn on Salem-Chennai National Highway

 In view of the on-going Pongal festivities, a Rekla (horse cart race) competition was held on Wednessday which finally turned chaotic as more than 500 two-wheeler riders joined the race procession on the Salem-Chennai National Highway from Athur Udayarpalayam. 
The event, organized by Nanbargal Kuzhu (Friends Group), featured both small and big horse categories, attracting participants from various towns. 
Small horse competition drew enthusiastic participation: 
The competition commenced with a 10-kilometer race for small horses. Sixteen horses from towns such as Atur, Trichy, Coimbatore, Salem, Bannari, Rasipuram, Kulithalai, and Dharmapuri participated in the event. 
Kicking off from Kothambadi, the finishing line was set at a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Udayar Palayam. The results saw AVM Fruits’ horse from Athur clinching the first prize of Rs.20,000, while the second prize of Rs.15,000 went to the horse from Kulithalai Nimilan and Mitra from Salem Ammapet.
Big horse competition marks the culmination:  
The festivities continued with a 14-kilometer race for larger horses, featuring participants from Salem, Namakkal, Atur, and Covai. Coimbatore Bannari Amman Navin secured the first prize with Rs. 25,000, followed by Salem Jafar ‘s horse winning the second prize of Rs.20,000, and Coimbatore Bamakannu securing the third prize of Rs.15,000. 
The festival committee awarded a total prize money of one lakh, with the winning horses receiving Rs.25,000 for the big horse category and Rs.20,000 for the small horse category. 
Two-Wheeler chaos mars the celebration: 
However, the exuberant celebration took a turn for the worse as more than 600 two-wheeler riders, lacking police security, joined the procession, causing havoc on the Salem-Chennai National Highway. Witnesses reported over 10 collisions along the route, resulting in minor injuries for the two-wheeler riders. Expressing their dismay, the Rekla competition participants urged both the organizing Nanbargal Kuzhu and the police to ensure better management next year.