“Chase your dreams. Don’t let anything hold you back”. These encouraging words of her mom were ringing to her ears when Arushi Garg won NBC’s Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge season 1 to the surprise of Indian Diaspora in the US and her family in India. 38-year-old Arushi Garg, an Indian immigrant mom and blogger, is currently basking in her moments of ‘American Dream’. She earned a whopping $50K cash prize and a highly customized Nissan Skyline (GT-R).
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Arushi who calls Houston her second home not only demonstrated her creativity but also celebrated her Indian roots and culture in the American TV reality show. Her achievement in the inaugural season of ‘Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge’ is remarkable on various levels. She was the only woman contestant qualified for the finals of the car makeover reality show, which is generally thought to be a male-appropriate space. More importantly, she followed her gut instinct throughout the process of transforming a Nissan Skyline into a life-size rally car without any first-hand experience or expertise.
For the finals, Arushi Garg was tasked with makeover of the iconic Nissan Skyline GT-R (featured in Fast & Furious movies) into a life-size Hot Wheels model. She recalls that she instantly knew what she wanted to do with the Skyline and her team of carpoolers helped bring her vision to life. They took up the risky rebuild and started replacing Skyline’s wheels with bigger and dramatic 24-inch wheels. This choice of hers was met with a skeptical gaze from the judges and cautionary advice against the use of big wheels for aesthetic reasons, but Arushi Garg believed in her vision and went ahead with her design.
The modest Skyline took the shape of a bright red rally car with a raised roof, extended fenders, striking light bars, roil cage and a fifth wheel on the back. Her stunning recreation was inscribed with affirmations. She called it ‘Rally Resilience’, a symbol of everything Arushi Garg believes in – the power of kindness, fearlessness, humility, etc. Through her creation, she encourages one to ‘Never Quit’ – a message that flashes when a UV light is cast on the car.
Arushi Garg’s ticket to the Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge finals was her funky and flamboyant makeover of a Maruti Suzuki Omni, her first family car, in the fourth of the 8 episodes. She transformed it into an eye-popping pink Hot Wheels van with vibrant hues and traditional motifs which are mostly seen in the décor of mansions and the fabric of ethnic outfits in Rajasthan where she hails from. She named her qualifying design ‘Jaipur Jewel’ after her native place, Jaipur.
With her wacky redesign of the first family car, an 8-seater Maruti Omni, that the judges had never seen before, Arushi paid homage to her late father, her beloved homeland, and her Indian heritage. It not only impressed the judges and the audience, but also touched the hearts of Indian immigrants.
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The 8-seater Omni van, one of the first launches of Maruti Suzuki, had high significance in Indian society when there used to be joint families. Over time, it became a symbol of family bonding and togetherness in the 1980s. The frequent use of the vehicle with sliding doors in kidnapping and heist scenes on the celluloid tarnished the image of Maruti Omni as Bollywood’s official kidnapping car. With a paradigm shift in its status and significance, these cars became mere displays in wedding processions in the hinterlands of north India.
Recalling her love for cars, she notes that she used to play with cars more than dolls in her childhood. Interestingly, her 7-year-old son, Vir, has developed the same passion for cars and his vast Hot Wheels collection of 200 diecast cars inspired her to take up challenges at the Hot Wheels reality show. Rekindling her passion and pushing her boundaries, she set out to make a difference in the male-dominated car culture. She also wanted to win the Hot Wheels Challenge for her kid, so it can inspire him to pursue his dreams with absolute belief in himself.
“I hope it inspires you to chase your dreams, embrace your heritage, and never let anyone define what you can or cannot achieve. We all have the power to be trailblazers and break stereotypes, just like I did with my Hot Wheels creation,” says Arushi Garg, the Snazzy Mom.