In the good old days, you didn’t have much of a choice; it was either the Ambassador or the Fiat. Opting for the Ambassador was not difficult as we were a fairly large family. Our passion for long drives and exploration of the unknown with the whole family made easy the decision to buy a spacious car. The wait had been a long one. To buy, or not to buy had remained an undecided question for many years.
Finally, when the car arrived, it was difficult to believe the dark blue beauty in our front yard was actually ours! On waking, I would dash out to see if it was still there. My gaze on this new machine was unceasing. As the poet W H Davies aptly puts it, “What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare.” And stare I did, with much enthusiasm.
As an adventurous 10-year-old, I enjoyed driving around with my dad whenever he went out. Our chauffeur would look disapprovingly at me as I jumped up and down on the seat and made a rumpus by hanging on to the steering wheel wanting to drive. The two Bosch horns would let out an ear-splitting blast at the press of a finger. Persistent pressing from my side was enough to send him into a tizzy, much to my amusement!
All said and done, the car was always in sparkling condition. Fortunately, the obsession of flicking away the minutest of dust particles with a yellow polishing cloth wangled from our regular petrol pump ensured it was always spick and span.
On one occasion, our charioteer’s otherwise disapproving and glum face had the makings of a smile, coupled with a look of confidence and sense of accomplishment. When we asked him why he looked so happy, he replied with a twinkle in his eye, “Sir, instead of the usual car wash, I tried using Tinopal today—that’s why the car has a special shine to it now.” The smiles on our faces instantly vanished. He had used, erroneously, a fabric-whitener called Tinopal instead of the Teepol car shampoo that was used for cleaning cars in those days!
My dream car suddenly seemed to have vanished into thin air. I thought the only saving grace now was memories of its white-walled tyres, unique sunshade and extra lights that gave it a sportive look. We waited with bated breath for a few days before we made sure that no damage had come to the paint. Fortunately, the ‘car-whitener’ was not strong enough to harm the glossy and beautiful look of our four-wheeled chariot!
Tilak Baker
Email: tilak@cds.ac.in