NANO: Showing India of Possibilities

Yesterday was another day for Manoramam Year Book 2009 to record. It was launch of NANO – the dream of Ratan Tata in Mumbai. I really appreciate personalities like him who make possible the most impossible things, the most unheard and unthought-of things. When 6 years back Mr Ratan Tata, kept his dream of a Lakh rupee car on table for ACMA (Auto Components Manufacturing Association) to believe in, hardly anybody except Brij Mohanlal Mujal of Hero Honda supported him. But yesterday he came up with most basic model at price he decided 6 years back. This all is despite of so many obstacles and difficulties surrounding him in last one year. He is surely worried about Corus output and cash flows which are suffering due to global crises. JLR deal was done at the time, surely very much wrong. Terrorists also attacked his heritage. And who can forget the whole singur fiasco. If we think practically he would have convinced customers that now its not possible to conceive this car at price fixed 6 years back and the situations around have just made it worse. But beauty is his commitment to customers. There is lot for India to learn from people like him. Specially all the flyover contractors they just keep extending time period and keep revising quotes. Though the NANO prices currently announced are fixed for first one lakh customers, still the job is commendable.

Along with commitment he also showed world that India is not only destination for outsourcing but can be a bigger and better manufacturing hub for rest of the world. I believe 23rd March 2009 was an important day for India of Possibilities.

There will be lot of sound and noise (most of which I also believe in) on the infrastructure issue due to these one lakh cars rolling on roads of Tier II and III cities. I don’t expect people to buy them heavily in cities like Mumbai and Banglore. But in such cities I see a possibility of phasing out Ricks slowly and graduation to NANO to become a form of private transport. In my view even government can venture into this territory wherein NANO will be just like Ricks but run by government, if it can manage buses why not it can manage cars also. Just like ST stand there will be NANO stand for people to commute. Government can surely do this experiment in small cities before implementing it in Metros.

Atleast now government should think in manner that, given all the facts and figures Middle Class is increasing and will increase in coming years, Car is one of there dreams and they will materialize it with help of people like Ratan Tata. The argument of more Public Transport is acceptable but government can't discount the dreams of middle class. Very few are goona bother about the fact that there will be more traffic on roads due to my car and hence I should not buy it. Only answer here is development of infrastructure to accommodate them, without questioning the growth of this country of possibilities.