The 'Nano' was revealed to the world at the Delhi Auto Expo. The car which no one believed would see light of the day had finally become a reality. What more could be a more befitting reply to Mr. Ratan Tata'scriticizers? When the whole world is busy delving in big cars, Tata's miniscule masterpiece resembles a mere toy in the crowd. With the 'Nano', the dreams of millions of common Indians may well become a reality, the dream of owning a car.    

For three decades, it was the Ambassadors and Fiats on which rode the nations millions. People did not have much to choose from and the standard Harold was not considered a reliable automobile. With the advent of Maruti in the early 80's things started to look a bit brighter. Again, doubts were raised on the Maruti's capability and potential. There was a joke doing the rounds then, a joke which said that it was advisable to stop a Maruti when a truck passed by as it just might topple over. I can't quite seem to comprehend from which angle that resembles a joke but nevertheless, it did sum up the feelings of the people towards the M800.

The Ambassador is still in production today, its only regular customer being the Government of India. Premiere Padmini, the manufacturer of the Fiat shut shop long ago. Maruti Suzuki, single handedly revolutionized the Indian car market of the 80’s and early 90's and for that it finds a mention in the pages of  Indian automotive history.

In a country like India, where one third of the population do not get their basic needs fulfilled, one might wonder if we really need a 'Nano'. The answer whatever it might be is debatable. But there is definitely nothing wrong in giving hope to the masses that one day they will be able to afford a car. Someone once said, "The satisfaction of having a need fulfilled is nothing compared to the satisfaction that emits when a dream comes true", how true it is.

Our roads today have become a battlefield. Cars, bikes and buses jostle with each other for space. Such clogging has given rise to the speculation that there are too many cars plying on our roads. It is very ironic to know that most of these speculations seem to be coming from people who themselves drive big cars which take up a whole lot of space on the roads (a Maruti takes about 52 sq. feet space on the road while a Ford Endeavor occupies about 96 sq. feet).  

So, the need of the hour is to manage traffic and build cars that don't occupy much space rather than block new entrants like the Nano. We have got to prevent our roads from becoming the domain of anarchy and chaos and I think the Nano is the perfect answer.

Past generations have grown up with Ambassadors and Fiats and speak of them fondly. The present generation has grown up with Maruti and feels the same for it. Tomorrow’s generation will do much the same, only this time, the car will be the Tata Nano.