Vintage Car

The first ride in car that I had in my life was in our Ford A model. The car was part of our family for many years before I was born. It has not been just part of the family but also of the society (Dhantoli, Nagpur) that had just five cars in 1930’s. Our family was privileged to have this car.

I was told that the purchase of our car was a surprise that my father gave to the family. One day a car entered the dusty streets of Dhantoli. Children playing on the street got attracted to this beauty and ran behind her, unmindful of the dust that flew around. The car stopped at our residence. Everyone from the house came to the courtyard to see who the visitor is. No one might have imagined that time that the visitor was to be part of the family and will remain so for over eight decades. Nobody in at home knew about this addition to our family till the car actually arrived at our residence. It was a moment of joy and thrill for all family members. The car was priced by Ford Motor Company in the US at $625 and the exchange rate of USD to INR in 1930 was INR 2.77 (of course Rs. Two and Twelve Anna and few Paisa and Pai but I converted into decimal system for better understanding). If I make a quick calculation of converting this amount in gold that one could have purchased in those days (USD 20.65 per Oz.) and multiply that quantity by today’s gold price then the cost of this car works out Rs. 27.65 lacs (INR 2.765 m.). I am sure it must have been huge money.

Author as a child on luggage carrier

The car went around all over central India, Maharashtra and Gujarat wherever my father was posted. My father would go tours in this car and the luggage would be secured with rope on the luggage carrier. I have a picture of mine sitting on the luggage carrier. The car must have travelled hundreds of thousands of kms. As it grew older the milometer failed. We could never get the worm that fits into engine and rotates the cable, in order to rectify the fault. Same thing happened with the wiper. Someone stole it and its gone forever. Similar is the story for copper tubing for fuel, wiper etc. that was more attractive for the thieves, but the modern day plastic came to our help as a replacement. 

Foot board that can carry six standees on each side

I admire Ford for having designed such a beautiful machine, so sturdy yet so simple. The petrol tank is where the modern cars have dashboard. This eliminates the need for complicated fuel pump. The crankshaft handle has been replaced with starters in modern cars (remember the mechanism how scooters and bikes were kick started few years back. The kick of bike is similar to handle of the car). The wiper worked on the suction and exhaust of the engine air and not of electricity. Cars were fitted with blow horns (some autos and Idliwalas use it even today). All these made the electrical system less complicated. The dynamo was in place of a modern day alternator. All this worked to perfection and is still working. The wooden flooring obviates the need for repair of rusted tin. The car is spacious, it takes six persons comfortably, but in case of emergency, it carries much higher number. I have carried 22 persons in this car, some standing on foot boards, some sitting on folded hood and few on the front near the lights mounted over the front wheels and believe me no one complained.

The car was designed for the roads of 1930 and there is no difficulty for the car to run on roads of this millennium. It still can easily clock 100 kmph, but we don’t want to strain her. Sixty to seventy is what we limit. The Vintage and Classic cars rally advocates an average speed of 25 kmph in the rally. The fuel consumption is similar to cars of 1970’s in India like Ambassador and Premier Padmini. Eight to ten kms per liter is what we get even today.

Wedding procession 

Our Ford was in regular use till 1960. There are hundreds of persons who took driving lessons on this car.  On the romantic front the car made hundreds of newly wedded couples dream of their Suhag Raat when went out in her for marriage procession (Varat in Marathi). It was fun to watch nicely dressed newly wedded couple in well decorated car with open hood, with number of children squeezing on the back seat. A musical band (the famous Chalisgaon Band in Nagpur) would lead the procession. Folk of ladies will be following the car followed by males. The car would travel at snail’s speed and would halt at places for the firework ahead of the band to finish. It was fun and if our car could speak, I am sure she would term this as most memorable experience for herself and would smile to herself remembering the sweet talk the married couple would have had during the ride.

The car was almost out of use in 70’s. We all had purchased modern car and the poor old lady was unfortunately neglected. In late 70’s we brought the car to Mumbai, got registered with the Vintage cars club and decided to take part in the rallies. Things changed then after. We realized that we have a rare possession. During my visit to Ford museum in Dearborn, Michigan, I found that only 7381 cars of this model were manufactured by Ford in 1930 and 1931 and perhaps ours is the only surviving one. Even the Ford museum does not have this model in their possession. We started with regular maintenance, participation in rallies and restoration. The old electrical system was changed, mechanical brakes were replaced with hydraulic, modern day starter was fitted, side indicators and brake lights were added and a new coat of paint made her glitter.

Our own Gandhi

Friends and family members in Khadi

From 1980 till 2010 we won first prize every time the rally was conducted and we competed. After the rally of 2010 we announced that we will no longer compete, though, we will participate in the rally. We have kept our word for last three years. The participation in the rallies gave a great exposure to the car. Many columns were written in newspapers and magazines around the world. With internet catching up many sites had reports of the rally and our car. There has been a wide coverage on electronic media with our interviews telecasted soon after the rally. The car has been of special interst to film personalities. Our car was keenly observed for the film Gandhi. Our car was not selected for Gandhi, so we decided to have our own Gandhi in the next rally. We created our own Gandhi look alike and other freedom fighters. We had over 150 persons dressed in Khadi during the rally at Brabourne stadium, Mumbai, cheering us. That was one of the big events we had. Once Devanand was on look out for similar car and met us. I had introduced him to my parents, who were not aware of his credentials. Jackie Shroff also had keen interest in our car and spent some time in knowing the details of the car.

Author and his brother with Devanand

With Bhatkar, a Marathi actor

Jackie Shroff a keen listener

The vintage car rally is also a family and social get to gather for us. Our car is part of our family and we all have emotional bonding with her. Family members and friends who are present during the rally, get nostalgic. We share our sweet memories and usually dine to gather before parting with a promise to meet next year. The car is getting older but is still very strong and dependable even at the age of 83. Mechanics and parts both are not available and it’s a big challenge to maintain the car. We try our best to keep it fit and will continue to do so till our generation exists. At this stage we are very keen to see that car runs for another 17 years and completes a century. In the recent past we drove to Pune and Nashik on two different occasions to participate in the rally. It was a great site to watch 1930 Ford and latest BMWs, Audis and Mercedes going side by side on expressway and in Kasara ghat. Generally there is a great admiration and cheer when people see the old beauty on the streets.

Our edition of Laurel and Hardy

Author being interviewed by ETV

Today we have in our family the modern cars like BMW, Honda, Ford, Nissan, Mercedes and even Tata but our heart still lingers with our age old beauty Ford A model of 1930.  

Wedding Receptions

Wedding receptions is a hot topic for last few days. The first lavish wedding reception that I remember must have been in late 50’s. It was hosted by a rich inhabitant of Ramdaspeth, Nagpur who had booked the entire Ramdaspeth Park to make vulgar display of his wealth. If one is rich, then there is no need to display, as others already know one is rich. I know many rich guys from western suburbs in Mumbai who travel by locals (suburban trains) to their work place. A simple look at them can never tell that the guy has millions with him. One may term it as simplicity, may be, but fact remains there is no display of wealth. In fact such public display is rightly not needed. In marketing I believe, if you are a brand you don’t need a brand.

The neo-rich are the ones who want others to know that they too are rich. Unfortunately in India we have a very strong nexus between money, power and politics.  Money brings the power and power brings the money. It’s a circle that is valid both clockwise and anticlockwise and one of the most practiced starting point to initiate this circle is politics. Girth of this circle increases with every rotation, thanks to dirty politics. We has a very large number of such neo-rich species in India.

One of the ways to intimidate rather than impress the masses is to hold grand receptions, be it a wedding or even birthday. These functions are attended by political bigwig and that vouches for the “strength” of the person. This strength is used to pull the weight on the masses. In the recent news were the politicians who spent over Rs. 400 million on a wedding reception. Most of the politicians and Bollywood guys were present for this extravaganza. Helicopters and private aircrafts kept flying. VVIP guests were ferried by helicopters between the reception venue and palatial residence of the politician. Tens of thousands travelled from native village of these politicians, thousands abstained from their jobs to attend the function. There was a strain on the police, authorities supplying water and electricity, and various other service providers. Roads were jammed, residents of that area and all those who used the national highway, and had nothing to do with this function spent extra time and fuel to reach their destinations. What a waste of national resources, be it man hours, fuel or energy.

Stage and facilities at the reception venue created for a few hours of function were of millions. Money was just flowing. Flowers were flown in from different countries; sets were erected to give a magnificent look. The dinner in this reception had international cuisine. Chefs were flown in even from relatively unknown countries like Czech Republic. May be 90% of the invitees would not be position to correctly pronounce Czech, but the cuisine was there. The food that had been wasted could have fed hundreds of malnourished children in the state. Even 100 gms of food wasted by each of the 100,000 invitees would mean over a truckload of food waste.

Another politician from Maharashtra gave sarees, suits, and utensils along with the invitation cards to the invitees. Mercs were given as gifts to relatives and cost of mementos would run in millions. Most of these expenses are without any invoice. This translates in to circulation of black money, non-payment of VAT and other taxes and of course income tax. Even the caterers and decorators demand cash and not cheques so that they can save on taxes - service tax and income tax.  

It is difficult to digest the logic behind such functions. In one such wedding the parents of the groom were least interested in the bride or the rituals that were going on. Their attention was at the gate and on cell phones to check the VVIP movements. The couple was restless till arrival of party supremo and other dignitaries. It is sad that marriage, an event in India that is so sacred, so personal and is solemn element of the society, is being publicized for personal interests.

In yet another wedding a corporator of a municipal corporation erected a set that was similar the set used in Jodha Akabar movie. For him the cost was just Rs.4 million for the set that was occupied by the newly wedded couple for few hours. However this money could have given a permanent one room dwelling to few families for their lifetime.

Recently a birthday was celebrated by a politician, that was again worth millions. For such functions hoardings were erected, spoiling the landscape, creating a non-biodegradable waste in tons. The TV channels kept on beaming the advertisements sponsored by his chamachas for the whole day. What a waste of money for unproductive activity.

In good old days in Mumbai, a slice of ice-cream would be served in wedding reception. Afterwards receptions graduated to some snacks and a cold drink. Over a period last thirty years the entire definition of reception has changed. Recently in Indore the reception had a fashion show with ramp walk. In another reception dancers and singers from TV reality shows were invited. And now it is said that one minister paid Rs.35 million to a leading actor to dance for few minutes in the reception. The guest list is also swelling every day.

We have in India “guest control order” in place. There is no implementation of this act. It is similar to “health permit” issued in Maharashtra for consumption of alcoholic beverages. Anyone in Maharashtra can buy a booze without the permit. The guest control order that was promulgated in 1960 that refrained the hosts/caterers from serving cereals. There is limit for inviting guests. It is 25 persons for social parties and 100 persons for wedding and funeral functions inclusive of the host. It is reported that the original document is lost and therefore a similar order passed by Assam government in 1966 is being taken as a reference point. Various states including J&K had similar orders. Late Lal Bahadur Shastri, when he was the Prime Minister had appealed to the citizens to refrain from consumption of rice on every Monday to overcome the shortage of food grains. Of course shortages are now part of history, but there has to be some sensitivity on wastage of food and spending. Our neighbouring country Pakistan, advocated similar policy and “one function one dish” was promoted. They went a step forward and banned extravagant expenses, illuminations, fireworks, use of public space, loud speakers etc. We have Supreme Court order for fire crackers and loud speakers, but who cares? We have become insensitive, more insensitive than our politicians.

Everyone knows from where the money comes for such functions. Everyone knows what is the purpose for such extravagant celebrations, government is aware of all such activities, but no one questions, rather dares to question. Will our society wake up? A social boycott may be a step towards this.

Chain Culture!

It was in 2005 that I last travelled on Indian Railways. I have been reading both good and bad about the railways. Laloo and Mamta both had contributed for the state of affairs we are in today. It was the last day of January 2013, I got on to Garib Rath with Joe, my American friend, who was keen to travel by Indian Railways. Luckily the train for Jabalpur departed on time. Condition of the coaches was good. What impressed me was electrical power point for charging mobiles and laptops in every cabin. Good thought that dawned upon the bureaucrats.

Soon after Kalyan we found gang of unauthorized vendors moving through the coaches selling anything from tea, coffee, bottled water, vada pav, bhel puri, Nasik grapes to Chinese toys. Surprisingly the official vendors were conspicuously missing. In between someone from railway’s catering services would move around to book evening dinner and someone would supply bedrolls on payment for the night. Both the dinner and bedrolls were far below the acceptable standards. I asked Joe if he would like to taste Vada Pav. His refusal was understandable, the nice smell of freshly fried Vada and the fried green chillies was very tempting, but the unhygienic way it was served even made me shirk from the idea of having one. Tea from unauthorized venders was good, but too expensive. Joe made a quick calculation and commented that it’s more expensive than a bottle of beer in Maharashtra. In Goa, he said, one may have two bottles beer at lesser price than that of the tea. Hardly 50 ml of tea that was served at Rs.7/-. It works out to nearly Rs.140/- per liter. I had no answer for his observational silent question.

Chained tumbler in toilet

Joe wanted to freshen up and excused himself. The cleanliness in railway toilets, even other toilets in India is far below the acceptable levels for Westerners. We as Indians may crib and use it as we have no options. Very few individuals take any efforts to keep the toilets clean, we just don’t care. Anyway I was not expecting any comments to this regard from Joe, as he got used to such toilets while in India. Joe returned and had a big question mark on his face.  “Something wrong Joe”. I enquired? “Not really”, he said, “I was sure not to find tissues in the toilet, but I was just wondering why the tumbler over there is chained? Who the hell will take it away?” I had no answer, but it did trigger my thought process. Why are we like this?

We finished our dinner and decided to retire. As we were preparing our beds, Joe saw our fellow passenger putting a chain and a lock to his bag. Again there was a question from Joe, why is he securing the bag? May be the poor chap was worried that his bag should not be stolen in the night. I could understand this but could not explain to Joe. Thieves are everywhere in the world but the numbers and what they steal is different. I have seen bags being snatched at Hong Kong and Frankfurt airports. I have seen mugging in New York and Moscow. But tying a chain to travel bag is unique to our country. I was looking for a convincing answer to explain Indian psyche to Joe.

Chained garbage can

By 9.00 pm the train reached Bhusawal. Joe checked with me if it would ok for him to get out of the coach and stroll over the platform for a while. The train usually halts for fifteen minutes and I nodded my head in confirmation. Joe had a breath of fresh air and returned to the coach once again with a question mark. Now I was wondering, what is bothering Joe.  He did not test my patience. He narrated that he went to drop the gum wrapped in a piece of paper to the garbage can and he was surprised to see the chain and lock on the garbage can. The dust been, what the American call as garbage can, had a chain around it and that was locked to grill of a window. Joe asked, “Does someone steal garbage cans in India?” I had once again no answer but some pricking questions.

Chained sand and water buckets for fire fighting

Train reached Itarasi by 2.00 am. Joe gain got out of the coach. I was sure that Joe will have another question when he returns. There was a change of locomotive from electric to diesel. A loud different whistle vouched for this as the train rolled out. I went till the passage to ensure that Joe is back in the coach. “Any questions Joe?” I initiated this time. “Well, just want to know how often there is a fire at the railway stations in India?” Joe asked. “Hardly any, I don’t remember any incidence in the recent past”, I told Joe, “but what made you ask this question Joe”, I asked. “Well on the track (American word for platform) I saw buckets of water and sand neatly placed on a steel stand” Joe told, “but question remains why these should be chained and locked? How can one use these in case of emergency? One will have to look for the person who has the keys”. Once again, I was foxed and had no answer.

Chained chairs in first class waiting room

The train finally reached Jabalpur. We waited at the platform for a while for our friend who was to pick us up. He was delayed. I called him to check if he was around. He informed that he might take some time to reach station and we should wait for him in first class waiting room. We picked up our bags and proceeded towards the waiting room. I stepped in and immediately turned back. Joe wanted to know if anything is wrong. I said, “no, we will rather wait out and enjoy early morning fresh air (along with typical early morning foul smell)”. It would have been easy for me to explain Joe, genesis of foul smell, rather that answering his certain question, “why the chairs in the waiting room are chained and locked?”

Can someone tell me why do we need to lock everything, private and public property? Are we really thieves? We see this every day but what message it gives to the foreigners? THINK.......