Owner's pride

JUST THE other day, I heard the latest buzz doing the rounds of the automotive industry circles that soon only cars which adhere to Euro 2 norms, will be allowed in Chennai. This was alarming news for vintage car-lovers, I thought, but soon learnt that this only applied to cars manufactured after July 2001. To someone like me, and perhaps many others in our metro, who have an emotional bond with their old cars and have problems telling a Honda City from a Lancer or an Opel Astra, it was a great relief that my Premier Padmini, 1975 model, gifted to me by my father, could continue plying the city roads. But, friends and family think I am so hopelessly out of date when it comes to cars.

To me a car is a means of transport - as long as it is not a rattletrap and is in good running condition, brand names hardly matter. But I guess, I belong to a minority.

Can't you recognise all the features that newer models have to offer, ask members of the opposite camp. And my reply is, who needs more engine power when one has to drive in third gear most of the time, thanks to the chaotic Chennai traffic. Next, if you ask about power steering, my Premier Padmini had a steering that was as smooth as butter till my driver started using it. As for central locking, well, a little exercise will not do any harm.

But there's more to it than meets the eye. Human beings are becoming so complicated that a car is inextricably linked with their self-esteem. I don't agonise over that. However, what bothers me is to know that my car has hurt my driver's ego too. He can't figure out, why when my friends, neighbours and relatives arrive in their Cielos, Ford Escorts, Opel Astras, Volkswagens, Honda Citys, Mitsubishi Lancers, Esteems etc., I still insist on using the 'desi' Padmini. At social events, he feels, my four-wheeler pales in comparison to its glamorous counterparts.

Driven to desperation by those around, I have on several occasions come close to selling my Padmini. But have always had a rethink at the last moment, and found it hard to let go.

Then, I adopted a different approach and tried to use the economy card to explain to people that small cars consume less fuel (mine gives 9.5 km for a litre). This reminds me of my friend, who discovered his Cielo was giving him just eight km for a litre and switched over to gas. One day, he took away the cylinder in the kitchen, when he found the fuel position low. Later, his wife discovered that she didn't have a spare one to replace the empty cylinder, which let her down just before her friends were expected to drop in for dinner. The gracious lady tried to keep her cool. But how the husband made peace with her is another story.

I am now forced to point out that there are many areas in which my Padmini wins hands down. One can manage to travel in it without the A/C on during summer (provided you are in white or pastels). It doesn't get unbearably hot even if parked in the sun, unlike the newer models, which have so much of glass and heat up. Even its worst critics have to grant that it has another feature that is definitely in its favour - its comfortable seat height which doesn't trigger a backache. I don't feel like I am almost sitting on the floor as I do when I travel in the front seat of my husband's Lancer and on days when my driver cannot chauffeur me, I realise it is easy driving this vehicle for not- so-tall people like me, as I can get a clear view of the front and tail end. That's not all. Saree pallus don't sweep the floor when women get in and there is plenty of shelving under the dash boards to accommodate files.

I have told my driver and family that 10 or 20 years from now when all the flashy four-wheelers have lost their charm, my well- oiled beauty and all the old Ambassadors and Fiats that some of the residents of this city own would have become vintage cars and we will have the last laugh.

SUDHA UMASHANKER

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