L K Advani’s rath yatra will run on NASA chariot
L K Advani’s latest rath yatra is old news but many don’t know that the senior BJP leader’s high tech chariot for the journey is being provided by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Two weeks earlier, BJP had floated an international RFP asking chariot vendors to respond with their products for the yatra. NASA was the only entity among 3 that was shortlisted for the contract and bagged the same. The chariot will fly home in an An 225 heavy lift aircraft all the way from Washington with a refueling stopover at Berne in Germany this week. This will be the heaviest cargo ever carried by the plane which will be flying on Indian skies for the first time.
The vehicle, a marvel of engineering and aesthetic designing techniques, uses a pressurized cabin that can seat 7 people comfortably or a pre-surgery Ghadkari. Passengers get a good view of their surroundings thanks to a bullet proof glass and night vision sensors. Instead of using a bulky airlock, the chariot has two extra vehicular-activity suits attached to sealable ports. Advani can enter the suit from inside the chariot, detach it, venture outside the chariot, interact with locals en-route and then reattach the module to the chariot and climb back into the cabin. Thanks to its TAK-4 independent suspension system, the chariot is able to withstand heavy payloads and diverse terrain. There are three compartments inside the vehicle and the loo is the same one which astronauts use during their extra-terrestrial sojourns.
Sources close to Advani said that initially the leader wanted a simple chariot and decided to have a ostrich driven one that would take him places faster. However, few BJP leaders dissuaded the leader from going ahead fearing Menaka Gandhi's ire. The new chariot will reach India this weekend and will be inducted into service by a surgically enhanced Ghadkari.
Needless to say Advani is quite happy with the whole thing but refused to answer any queries posted by Humor Unplugged on his blog. Advani however obliged us by sharing a pic of the chariot and asked us to publish the same as part of our exclusive story. Sushma Swaraj said she will dance at the development at an appropriate time.
Two weeks earlier, BJP had floated an international RFP asking chariot vendors to respond with their products for the yatra. NASA was the only entity among 3 that was shortlisted for the contract and bagged the same. The chariot will fly home in an An 225 heavy lift aircraft all the way from Washington with a refueling stopover at Berne in Germany this week. This will be the heaviest cargo ever carried by the plane which will be flying on Indian skies for the first time.
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| The high tech chariot |
Sources close to Advani said that initially the leader wanted a simple chariot and decided to have a ostrich driven one that would take him places faster. However, few BJP leaders dissuaded the leader from going ahead fearing Menaka Gandhi's ire. The new chariot will reach India this weekend and will be inducted into service by a surgically enhanced Ghadkari. Needless to say Advani is quite happy with the whole thing but refused to answer any queries posted by Humor Unplugged on his blog. Advani however obliged us by sharing a pic of the chariot and asked us to publish the same as part of our exclusive story. Sushma Swaraj said she will dance at the development at an appropriate time.
do you mind disclosing the price at which this chariot was procured :). Perhaps I can do a economic analysis of NASA chariot versus Ostrich chariot :D
ReplyDeletehahah :D they have not disclosed the rates...sharad pawar was the middle man in the deal and he says that the whole thing cost INR 1200 ;)))
ReplyDeleteLOL...Advani ji plz ab bas karo...Ek aap aur aapki darling daughter...The Chariot is kinda cool and I would love to see Sushmaji dance...:)
ReplyDelete:D Saruuu :) yea the chariot is perfect for Indian roads..in fact he will appriciate our roads even more after a ride in it ;))) For Sushma's dance you will have to wait a while since she is busy untangling herself from the reddy bros mess ;))
ReplyDeleteThe rumor has it that Mr. Gadkari went under knife so that he could fit inside the NASA Chariot!! ;)
ReplyDeletehahah :D brilliant one Nikhil :)
ReplyDelete