.....Of Love Affairs with Cars

It was a 1988 spring morning and I was getting ready to go to school. Ma gave me breakfast and mentioned in passing ,"Papa couldn't sleep last night". "Why? ,What happened?", I enquired. It was "His" car ,she replied.

In the good old days, buying a car used to be a matter of great privilege. There were no retail loans or telephones nor the incessant calls for loans. If you wanted a car, you took All the trouble - period. And how could one forget the license quota Raj?. Papa had booked the legendary Bajaj Chetak scooter. We were given a delivery period of 8 years!!.In hindsight ,Papa who was a Banker, was probably buying a financial instrument, and not a vehicle!.

Armed with a loan from his bank, his own savings and a little help from my Grand father, we went to a car dealer to look for a suitable "Bride". Bride, because he would always say "Gaadi Mohabbat se Chalao" (Drive your car with Love and Affection).And so in 1983,we became proud owners of a 1966 model ,white Premier Padmini. More commonly known as "Fiat".

(Above , L to R :Chacha (Paternal Uncle), Me & My sister and Papa with "His" Baby,1985)

Everyday the "Baby" would get a clean-up and every weekend a "body-wash". Ma would never leave an opportunity to pull Papa's leg, by calling the car "Sautan" (The Second Wife!!).

(Above L to R, Chachi (Paternal Aunt), Ma and her "Sautan",1985)

The car became the reason for drives on those tree lined and practically deserted highways. No air-conditioning, No power windows ,but still can't forget the wind in my hair from those days. "Hubsy, you are driving too fast", used to be Ma's common refrain on those drives. Papa would promptly comply, by driving at 10 km per hour. Overtaking cyclists, would give us bewildered looks, why were we in a car ?.

Soon after we bought the car, Papa came home one afternoon and announced to Ma. "See, what did we add to our NEW car". Ma looked hard, not to disappoint, but was unsuccessful. "You see this..." pointing to the newly fitted aluminum rain channel. Pleasures came in simple and small sizes, but could make the old, as good as new.

I confess, that I learnt to drive before the legal age!. I hope , I have crossed all the "Limitations" on the Law of Limitation!!. After a crash course in driving, from my Phoofa (Father's brother-in-law), the job of keeping me in practice fell on Papa and his car.

I dutifully cleaned the car and checked all her vitals each day. In return ,I was rewarded with the permission to reverse and park the car. Papa would later drive her off to work.

One day, while reversing, I misjudged and the car ended up being in the flower bed, with a dent on the rear bumper!. I knew how much Papa loved his car. I was worried dead, what would happen next. The noise of the crash was not ignorable either. He was there and asked, "What happened?". The look in my eye gave him all the answers. "So, What's the big deal?. Get it out, and park it where it is supposed to be", he said affectionately. That morning, is forever etched in my memory.

(Above : Ma, amongst the flower and tree beds, which I ran over ,with the car,1985)

We used to lived in Patiala (a city in the Northern Indian state of Punjab) and streets would go deserted, late in the evenings and at night. These were times, when I would try to bargain with Papa to let me drive. Sometimes he would give in, but most of the times we would come back home with a sulking co-driver!.

Commensurate with her age, the car needed appropriate "medical" interventions from time to time. Enter, Mr. Vidhee Chand. An honest and genuine man, who would always try to use parts of the cars ,as much, before going in for a replacement. He was happy to explain to me , the work he was carrying out on the car. Sharing proprietary knowledge, shall we say?.

His affable nature, got me interested enough and for my parents to allow me ,to spend the summer vacation mornings at his workshop. My first apprenticeship!. Believe it or not, I once wore a pair of white half-pants to his workshop. Mr. Chand kept fussing about how ,I should take care to keep them clean, else what would my mother say?.

We used to live in a portion of a large house. So, we were blessed with all kinds of flora and fauna. Cats and kittens included. I had managed to befriend one of the little fur-balls. One summer morning, I could not find her, so I assumed that she had more interesting things than a 13 year old. That evening, when my father came back from work, he had a very amused look. "There is a kitten in the car". I peeped in to find my feline friend, nervously frowning at me. Somehow, the kitten had managed to sneak into the passenger compartment from underneath the car. Now, someone else too was enjoying the ride!!.

So many novelties of that era, came home in that car .Our first color television, the vinyl turntable with its wood cabinet speakers, for which I had pestered my father, for years.....and so much more.

So, came that morning of 1988, I could barely fathom, what my father was missing. A brand new car was on the way and the old faithful had to make way!.

2012 , gave us an opportunity to start a new Love affair, all over again. This time ,Ma nicknamed her "Sahchari" (Literally meaning ,The "one" (woman) who walks along on the path of life).She put on a smile for the tease, though Papa was no longer there.

(Above : Another Love affair begins!."Sahchari" arrives,2012)

Time again gathered its share of memories and flew to 2022. After a lot of dilly-dallying ,I had to let "Sahchari" ,my old companion, go. Deja vu, She had taught my elder son, how to drive!. I wished Her another "Mohabbat" filled relationship ,as I bid adieu to Her.

(Above : Goodbye "Sahchari")

I am Amazed at how "the inanimate" make way into our hearts, while the ones of our own kind ,fail to make the cut. Or, until they are gone?. Or ,How our Worlds went round in circles. Reasons, why Flashbacks are fonder than the movie in running?.