There was a time when Ambassador was the most popular car in India.There were foreign cars back then too.But the middle class knew that they would never be able to afford a foreign car.The average indian preferred to buy the ambassador whenever he/she thought of purchasing a car.The ambassador looked indian,was a tough vehicle and kind of mapped to the kind of life we dreamed off.This was the seventies & the early eighties.Then,India won the Prudential Cup in 1983.The national network started beaming serials in colour through the week.India was changing,we were becoming global.Sometime in the mid-eighties Maruti quietly arrived.It was a weak,fragile car.But it was more elegant than the dabba-like Ambassador.In the meantime,the Amby became less robust.Maruti started introducing fancier,pricier models.Liberalisation brought IT outsourcing in its wake.Banks started giving easier loans.The ambassador started losing its premium position.As aspirations soared people started buying the good-looking cars made by Maruti Suzuki,Hyundai.Ford,Chevrolet and other carmakers jumped in.Many years have gone by.The Hindustan Motors factory in Hooghly,West Bengal has shut down.No more Ambassadors will be made any more.As indians lost interest in the Amby,they became spendthrifts.They started eating out much more.They took huge loans to buy small flats.And now we find the going tough.Prices are climbing,but we seek more pleasure.The media wants us to buy more cars,purchase more houses,splurge on eating out.Do we miss the Amby.Have we forgotten where we came from?I don't know.
