Hail Nano......, Hail TATA

By

Rajeevan. R
Soft Skill Trainer
INC
Kannur
 

TATA"s long cherishing dream has come true- low-price cars is getting ready to hog our roads in 6 months time. Alas, a motor-tsunami is in the making, perhaps we care to neglect it and so do our authorities. Two wheeler is going to hang in down line of our memories- Oh god! It's amazing experience?

Good idea , if each of us has a car to go about in the city will add more to the snaking  traffic block waiting hours for green signals that won't turn on. Perfectly hooked up. Perhaps the green bulbs must have been long gone off. Then you may call up the traffic officer and scream "sir, there is hell of a jam in the street and the green bulb is out" the presiding deity in the office may speak through smoke of cigar sitting under the no-smoking board, "shut up there you buddy, here, the office hasn't got a single bulb that comes to life". You will be sitting like cavemen inside the small cars without so much as a whiff of air to freshen you.

When these pampered cars come, it will be like having car rally on a regular basis in our streets. Then all politicians will think of trying cars for rally so that they can block the streets for more hours than the rally hoppers can. Now the demonstrations can block streets for a few  of hours alone that do not show much of their muscle power, but a car-rally with flags atop can block streets at least a day .Good idea . Probably, they would arrange a gadget on the car to hold flags .Good days are ahead. The already bad traffic system is going to be worsened off, thanks to everybody who adds oil to the flame.

The genesis of this low cost car, as a company head revealed to media, lies in his chance meeting with a family riding bike on a rainy day with children wedged in between husband and wife. A scene that evoked pity and fear in the nimble mind of this tycoon, thus a kind man saw it and vowed to help the scooter family. Oh God he must be the only great Indian to hold cantle to Gandhi, if Gandhi is valued as a currency. This tycoon was so sincere that he could hardly sleep since he made the promise of low cost car to the poor Indians. Go getters never sleep much.

But most of the Indians sleep well for they had empty stomachs and tired limps so there is no scarcity for sleep; they sleep exhausted dreaming a bowl of rice and curry for two times a day. Oh an unlikely dream. They particularly have no habit of sleeping inside home. Street is better for sound sleep. Oh how things are going to help them for they can now use cars as mobile homes. The govt. doesn't need pushing housing schemes any longer in its stead they just need to teach the street-sleepers to buy a car on hire purchase scheme.

A beggar heard sighing with a gasp, "how nice of these people to keep words" Of course, only a few Indians keep their words among them businessmen of our time are specially note worthy; forget the nasty politicians who have the historical record of breaking their vows.

Perhaps a middle class dream of owning up luxury goods has got a fresh push with the small car plan. Six months from now you will see MNC banks coming up with street loan fests, and the drooling middle class people will queue up at the street outlets. Who cares if it impoverishes the already debt ridden several among them? I have the foreboding of a danger listening to several of my friends who are looking forward to have cars reserved. Most of them can't even pay off their phone bills. For an average Indian mobile phone is so much of a luxury. Yes, people buy them out of craze and end up using as incoming call device. 

A mobile phone is an affordable danger but to throw the hard earned coins for a car is a frightening situation. For now car companies  are focusing on the scooter family who, you might have seen them searching their pockets several times at a petrol bunk for fifty rupees but finally end up filling for twenty rupees. How sad it is to see them paying twenty rupee petrol bill with a deep sigh .Look, now these people want to buy cars.

There are motives that work well for the companies not for the commons in the street. The huge advertisements and tempting pay off schemes will start soon. So that if you ever step in to a outlet car dealer to see how the car look like without least thinking that a headache will be waiting to hit your nerve centers. Your casual visit at the shop is enough for them to visit you several times.

The next day at the wee hours of morning you will have a knock at your door, somebody in executive smile will say, "good morning sir, I would like to introduce you the new car scheme that will help you a lot, sir a rare chance please fix it otherwise you will be a loser" Of course we will end up losers. Or rather we are already so.

The woman in the home may nudge you from behind and tell, "you know all the people around us have cars don't let this chance go uncared, ask that boy to sit and tell the schemes, oh what a goddam hubby you are, it is a fate of mine to marry you" You blink several times with mouth agape to know where you are, and scratch you beard.

You want a cup of tea but you painfully see she is all over the executive smiling her best smiles that you see first time long after the wedding night. You wish your better-half were half as interested in you as to the car and the executive. You get into the kitchen for a cup of tea while she is gathering details from the executive.

Finally she will call aloud, "hi come here, where are you, he needs the down payment of five thousand now for the car, get it now, and monthly you need paying only 1500 hi why are you sitting like a funeral oh do get the money" the executive will cast a triumphant beaming smile. You fish in your pocket and chest drawers finally come with a wad of five thousand. Of course you don't want a fight with wife. The MNC's concept of happy family must long live, though you die penniless.

By the evening when you are back home from work place with several aches over body and mind you see people gathered in the home. A chill and shiver will go down your spine. Perhaps, anything wrong with the ailing Dad or Mom. You come close to see. Your Dad and Mom are there around the new member of your home Mr. Car. Your wife in her best dress like newly wedded girl with girlie smile and giggle touching and embracing the car moving around like crass movie heroines. She will give you a curt nod and tell, "Oh why so late today didn't I tell you that we would have a ride in the car, you never care us" You stand cut up and tell, "sorry I forgot I didn't remember that they would bring the car today?"

She will say, "We were tired of waiting for you. But this executive is so kind as to ride us in the city, how nice of him to have us such a memorable evening". You see the triumphant smile beaming from the egghead executive. There comes another duty on your shoulder to ride the family in city and have them soft drinks and hard food at the eateries. Long live happy family.

There will come happy times in your family; your wife grow a little more caring, children a little more city-like, your Dad and Mom hardly ever have touched a car in their life now begin to speak about seat, steering, bonnet and oh God you stand mouth wide open. But it won't last long.

One day riding down the street there will come smoke from engine like you find it coming from a brick factory. You jump out like a cartoon hero in the Disney club, with your handkerchief to fan it. No use. Engine is over heated. People in the street gather to hospitalize Mr. Car into the neighboring mechanic's clinic

The mechanic with a beaming smile will say, "piston is gone, igniting system has been damaged , two artery wires are burned ,hi you need ten thousand rupees to patch it up " You have a shock sending its tremors down your spine, you ask, " why such a huge money for spare parts ?".

He will burst with a laugh, "it happens so always, do you think they are mad to sell cars at a low price, dear me, they charged a low price for car but money for spare parts will get them enough".

You will sit on the road with hands to the chin while children inside the car are munching candies. Your now caring wife who has never cared to help you with her gold in times of hardship now will tell you , " oh dear don't be so cut up and sad take this wedding chain and sell it to get the car home soon, how can we go home with out him, only to make the neighbors laugh at us". Somebody from behind will tell, "I am sure they will spend money of a regular car for repairing alone" you will keep fingers to mouth and murmur, "if it goes on for repair several times, before long I will have to spend three lacks".

The tail end:

Dear car-waiters remember one thing these companies won't provide you petrol; a sad news. Don't be cut up even the well off middle class family keeps cars inside the portico and says "We prefer traveling in the bus, how nice it is to sit in the bus and dream. There is nothing to care about like traffic-jam and accidents" I want to ask them "what on earth you got a car if bus was good enough". The truth lies elsewhere. Most of the vehicles owners can not afford the rocketing petrol price. Think twice before jumping at this small offer because small car won't make you big in society but only smaller.

The other day while talking to a German engineer visiting India, I got the new mind set of people in west. Now Germans tend to largely use cycles. That comes to me as a surprise when I see even the labour class here try for cars; there is no money for petrol though.

Why can't we imitate the good aspects of the white men? Our's is different mindset we will go for all the junk styles of them with out ever caring to study the good things from them. Once the Chinese were not so but now you see them living a modern mechanized life with all its problems in the making.

While prices of commodities are running high, people on the street are shouldering daily burden. Preaching vehemently on benefit of downtrodden, both the ruling and the opposition blindly look at draconian dance of the death on Indian farmers.  We the vulgar should face any eventualities as this is an era of MNCs Consumerism. Our country is pregnant with full of uncertainties, hence the people can expect a strange form of birth! However, our country's economy is growing fast to compete with other nations; so let us close all our sense to say Hail Nano....... Hail TATA………………!
 

Rajeevan. R
Soft Skill Trainer
INC
Kannur
 

Source: E-mail May 12, 2008

Articles No. 1-99 / Articles No. 100-199 / Articles No. 200-299 / Articles No. 300-399
Articles No. 400-499 / Articles No. 500-599 / Articles No. 600-699 / Articles No. 700-799
Back to Articles 800 Onward / Faculty Column Main Page