Beef Vindaloo

It’s been barely a week since Ratan Tata revolutionised the global car market than the brickbats have started doing what they do best – bring down anyone who is successful. The first criticism of the new “common man’s car” has begun with a citizen action group calling the Nano an “elitist vehicle.” The group claim that contrary to the publicity campaign, the new vehicle is not suited for the common man’s needs. Their concerns include the limited amount of space in the front section, the fact that the back section can only hold two children and that a loaded car would touch the roads while driving.

The Mumbai-based Consumer Campaign for India believes that the Nano’s publicity is entirely untrue. “What common man common man does he see driving the car,” said Rohit Kalpeshwar, Chairman of the CCI, “does he not know that the average waist line of the average common man is well over 40 inches and the average waist line of the average housewife is well over 46 inches?” Kalpeshwar believes that the common man would not be able to fit into the car. “Only the rich and elite who can afford to work out and be fit will fit into the Nano. How is it for the common man?” He also said that accommodating two children would encourage parents to play preference over their kids. “What about my five other children? Where does he expect them to ride?”

The CCI though still admit that there are positives coming out of the Nano. “What I like best of the Nano is that the top speed is 70 kmph, which is a good, safe family speed,” said Kalpeshwar. He believes that the scooter driving family would be used to the speed and therefore would be more than happy with the familiarity. He said that he is also keen to take the 70 kmph car on the highway along with other weekend travellers.

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