Anyone who has read my previous post, would know that I do not support the Nano. No matter how many people shout from their rooftops at the top of their voices, that now even the middle class can easily afford a car, the fact remains that India does not have the roads or the resources to bear the huge pressure that this car will exert, if it becomes successful. I will not re-launch the tirade against it again, you can read that post here.
This post is only about the genius called Ratan Tata and his belligerent Tata Group, who have always ably represented India on the global stage by consistently taking over international brands (Remember Corus, Tetley Tea etc?). Ratan Tata symbolizes the rise of a confident New India. As an Indian, I can’t help admiring the sheer guts Tata has. I am proud of him.
When Tata announced that one day he will build a Rs.1,00,000 car, everyone sneered at him. I must confess, even I didn’t believe him. But, Tata, who always shuns the limelight, kept quiet. He didn’t say anything, but he delivered the goods, and the whole world is still trying to figure out how he achieved it! It just proves that Indians can’t be beaten. When we say we can do something, we can do it. Period.
This car really has got the other car companies (mostly MNC’s) sweating. This is amply evident from the ‘Maruti’ advertisement that appeared in today’s edition of The Indian Express. Their slogan was “Indi-car or India’s car? The choice is yours.” Here, according to them, ‘Indi-car’ means Tata Indica and ‘India’s car’ means Maruti Alto.
Now, we have to get a few concepts cleared here. Please do tell me if I am wrong.
1. Tata Indica was India’s first indigenously built car. So, Tata Indica is the original ‘India’s car’.
2. Maruti Udyog is no more an Indian company. Suzuki, a Japanese company, has a majority stake in it. Besides, Maruti Alto has a Japanese engine in it and effectively, the Japanese have designed it. So how can it be ‘India’s car’?
You may be getting bored with all that banter, but I really get angry when facts are mis-represented. Instead of coming up with innovative products, when a company takes such cheap potshots at it’s rival, it clearly betrays a lack of creativity. Maruti Udyog should know better.
Also, there is a debate going on, whether an A.C. (Air Conditioner) can be fitted in the Nano (624 cc engine) without affecting it’s performance, considering that even a 1000 cc engined car takes a hit in it’s performance when being driven with the A.C. in use. The initial reaction would be “It is impossible”. Renowned automobile expert Murad Ali Baig, was put a similar question during a talk show on D.D. News.
His simple answer was “I don’t know”. Do you get the significance of that answer? When you are talking about Tata, anything is possible! When you are talking about India, anything is possible!!
Just a thought: Why not give the Bharat Ratna award to Ratan Tata? If anyone deserves it, he does!
