Not Just a Car

It was no crowd puller. Nor did it own striking features like an Anti-Lock Braking System or a power steering. . Yet my family maintained a close-knit relationship even though it left us three years ago. I still remember the day we bought the golden wagon. It was just another warm summer evening for the rest of our neighbourhood. People flocked to the beach after a tiring day’s work and kites could be seen streaming along with the northern winds. We had been sitting with crossed fingers and were anxiously waiting for it to arrive when we heard the honking of a car outside. In fact, in its eyes I could see the same eagerness we had to meet our new friend.

When one talks about his/her car giving it a nostalgic touch, we attribute it to a Volkswagen or other vintage cars. But this was just an ordinary Maruti Suzuki Zen – a typical vehicle for a middle class family living in a typical Indian society.

It wasn’t one of our wildest dreams to own a car. But it was one of our unfulfilled dreams to own one fitted with an AC. The box-like structure with its dark tinted glass and a not so good looking face was just another hatchback. It was a second-hand vehicle. Yet it was something more to us.  Other than a few dents on the back and a couple of scratches on the bumper, it was like brand new to us. Even when my brother slammed the gate open and broke the headlights, and when it had to bear with my mother’s constant mishaps at the parking lot, it stood like a faithful dog and bore with our careless mistakes.

Now while I have written paeans in memory of a plain old car, you might ask why I got rid of it then. After a couple of breakdowns and numerous scratches that had been daubed on it as the fruit of our bad driving, we felt the need for a change.

I still remember the day it left us. And when it went away never to return, I felt a sudden pang in my heart. And I knew that the rest of us felt the same