11th January 2008.
Two prominent headlines adored the National News Papers today. Both have one word in common – Rs. 1 LAKH?
TATA ‘s have unveiled their 1-lakh car. As a child I often visited the safety week pavilion at the mines my father used to work. It was a regular feature year by year. We grew up in between these celebrations. The safety week and Viswakarma pujas are the main attraction in a remote mines settlement. There are very few celebrations and in these two occasions the mines gates ate kept open for non-staff and family members of the staffs. We often go on a joyride of mines, courtesy HOLPACK (bigger sized dumper) operators (who are the fathers of friends working in the mine). As the rules are relaxed we demanded a view of the mines pits and operations, which is not possible during other days.
One model was common during the years went on. A normal family riding a scooter of a mines man was riding a scooter. (The person was a miner as he was wearing a mining helmet). The scooter was a lambretta, which was common those days as HAMARA BAJAJ was often sold in black market with a premium of 50% over its official cost. The model was just like we see a middle class family riding scooter on road every day but a little aggravated considering present nucleus families. Our families mostly consist of father, mother, a son and a daughter, or two sons or two daughters and in some cases only one sibling. In those days HAM DO HAMARE DO was only a slogan and only few people were adhering the same. Then families with three to five children were common.
So our model was consisting so. Father driving the scooter. Younger son in the front, younger daughter on the lap of mother behind father, and two others behind mother. An ideal family riding the scooter
The caption of the model “ IS IT A MINI BUS”
Till we cannot understand the concept it was just a funny model till it converted to our own dream. We were desperate to come out of the situation like that. We all have a desire to own a car, which is a middle class dream till the dream became RATAN TATA’s. Come September the same will be reality.
Rs. 1 LAKH will be the salary of President, which was increased from Rs. 50 thousands, was the other headlines.
Has there been any similarity between the two headlines. Had the salary been increased to say 2 or 4 lakhs would there be any impact on us? Quite not. Lots of money is spent from the state treasury on these politicians and a few bucks more or less don’t have any impact on us. Does any one of us know what is the salary of a MP or a MLA or a cabinet minister or say Prime minister. I hope not. I don’t know either, though I read the newspapers regularly. For me the candidates attending an interview are concerned about it for his general knowledge.
Should TATAs lunched their car at a price which is normal in prevailing market (say more than 2 lakhs) would it created such a great news. Definitely not. In the past when TATAs lunched their INDICA it has also created hype. Then it was the first Real Indian Car.
The question thus should the 2nd headline been appropriate for the front page?
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