Guwahati: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday did the ceremonial flagging-off for inaugural India-ASEAN Car Rally at the Nehru Stadium here. The occasion also marked the official christening of the rally.

The rally, felt the Prime Minister, was a ?journey into the future?, the entire 8,000 km exercise through eight other countries aimed at building sporting as well as business bridges with the eastern neighbours.

Over 60 cars were flagged off. The actual start of the rally, which ends in Batam, Indonesia, is Tuesday.

In a ceremonial sky-diving show that accompanied the inauguration function, a sky-diver was injured. The sky-diver, whose name could not be confirmed, fell and got entangled in a tree, suffering serious injuries to his left-arm. He was rushed to a hospital here.

Besides daredevil stunts, cultural programmes were also staged during the ceremony which was attended by the Prime Minister, home minister K. Natwar Singh and Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi. (PTI)