So the veil slipped off Tata’s zeolously guarded ‘1-lakh car’, slated to hit the roads, and our environment, by June 2008. Fitting is it not ? June of the year 2008, when we will be presented a severe reminder that Global Warming will make the earth as hot as hell. I hope the global climate does not play havoc with human existence, the way we have with the earth, but logic suggests the signs are ominous.

The inspiration for this calamitous creation – “One day, Ratan Tata was going on the road and saw a family of four getting soaked in the rain. That was when he decided to create a small car for all”

So, the Tata’s falsely claim that :

1) It is an eco-car

2) Gives a mileage of 25 km per litre on PETROL (eco-car ?)

3) Meets every international specification, including Euro-IV norms.

This was the insightful description of the Tata vehicle given by R A Mashelkar, former CSIR director-general, currently serving as an independent non-executive director on the Tata Motors Board. Mr. Mashelkar was also of the opinion that this creation marks the “Resurgence of Innnovative India”.

THE REBUTTAL

I find it fascinating as to how people like the obviously and exremely parochial Mr Mashelkar were once given the reigns of an organisation as crucial, to the growth of our country, as CSIR, for the simple reason that today he considers this calamitous project an ‘innovation’. As a NON INDEPENDENT NON EXECUTIVE NON INTELLIGENT individual, who sold his soul to the Tata Motors board, he obvioulsy does not know what he is talking about. I thought people who have occupied such prestigious positions would think atleast once before giving their approval to a Corporate money making racket.

1) It runs on PETROL !! The combustion of petrol in an internal combustion engine – especially a reciprocating one – will produce Carbon Monoxide, Sulphur, Nitrogen, Soot and other unburnt material which raises pollution. What is this utter and complete nonsense about it being an eco-car ? OK, they will argue that the by-products have been drastically reduced. My reply – read on ..

So, the ‘pseudo concerned citizen of India’, the great Mr. Ratan Tata saw a family of four struggling in the rain while he was pacing along stealthly, in his fuel guzzling monster made by the Germans or the British, driven by someone else. His heart went out to them, but it immediately came back because it was wet and cold and he decided – ” lets rip them of their 1 lakhs and make these rains, nasty floods or nastier droughts “. He thought to himself, ” if I somehow manage to create a ‘cheap’ (pronounced and understood as ‘bloody cheap’) vehicle which most of these buggers will buy then I will make a lot of money. “

2) The consequences : There will be more cars on the road then people actually living in cities. Even if your car is ‘eco-friendly’, the fact that 10 lakh of them will be on the road at the same time does nothing friendly to the ecology. The target audience is the middle class family of four, my family maybe, but who will stop the financially sound from buying one for their driver, their servant, their dog, their living room !! The sidewalks have already been taken, where will people drive these cars ? By jove, Govil already has plans to buy one !!

And do you know where these ‘cars’ are being made ? Singur. Agricultural land for the Tata’s so they can come back and bite us in the lungs, lets eat cars for dinner !!

The fact that this ’sham’ comes with a 1 lakh price tag opens up another can of worms – the car uses a ‘large’ amount of PLASTIC !! minus the ‘metallic bolts’ to reduce the weight (read as cost). In a country like India, where traffic sense is not one of the 5 senses given to us by nature, or the 6th, the 7th or even the 42nd, the roads will be battefields.

I have said enough. This is not the definition of lost cost transportation. Maybe, if Mr. Tata had considered dabbling in more High Capacity Low Floor Buses, Roadways construction, Water facilities or just planting trees, atleast that family would have shade to stand under.

Circa, June 2009. Now the son has got bronchitis, the girl has an irritated cornea, the wife has migranes and the man is stuck in a traffic jam. Honk ! Honk !

Up in the sky, is it a bird, a plane, no its smoke from the TatASS !! Cough Cough, splutter, aargghh ..