The "Nano" Revolution

Ever since its conception, the Tata Nano has been the talk in the circles. When it was launched, it created ripples everywhere - starting from the automobile industry, to the 2-wheeler industry, to 2nd and 3rd tier suppliers.

It has piqued the interests of not only its target group - the low-middle to middle class, but also of the rich; the students, the working class as well as the "elites" of the road (The first woman photojournalist, the 96-year-old Homai Vyarawalla, has sold her 55-year-oldFiat 1100 to buy the world's cheapest car, Tata Nano.)

Incidentally, it also brought out a new kind of discrimination in the already discriminative Indian society - discrimination on the basis of ownership of car. Even though the automobile industry has grown manifolds in India, with several foreign firms playing on an equal ground with the domestic Maruti, Tata motors, M&M, which has led to an increase in ownership of cars; we still see them as status symbols deep within. No wonder then that there's a public opposition and baseless criticisms about the car in fourms and network groups, where people have openly criticised availability of cars to the masses.

Is it really a concern for traffic? Or just the fear of the disappearance of the solid line of distinction between the car owners and the "others"? After all drivers of 4-wheelers show the maximum cases of road rage while the poor scooter riders end up as victims in most of the accidents (and let's leave the bus drivers out. They're a whole class apart).

Love it or hate it, but the Nano is here. Ever since it's conception, it has been facing both admiration and criticism in equal amounts. And even when this baby is out in the market after facing many hurdles - the singur plant shutdown, the time crunch to bring it out in the market, and the unconventional production from 2 plants; it still has more challenges to face.

The biggest one being - will it meet customers' expectations? Given the reputation of its predecessors - Indica, Safari and Sumo, either its gonna be a success like the Indica or a failure like the Sumo Grande. But then these products are known to make a comeback. So we can only wait and watch.

Photo: Tata Nano has gained popularity with the masses. This is visible from the fact that a local chips company in Uttarakhand has named its latest offer after the revolutionary car. Incidentally, Uttarakhand became the birthplace of Tata Nano after the Singur pullout.