“Your granny came in a ‘Car’ after her marriage.” This statement matters because it was 1940, while the British Raj was in her last stage in India and Indian economy wasn’t rapidly growing like today. Also, the world economy was suffering the aftermaths of WW II. The things like ‘Car’ were big, especially in the village like mine. Also, because my family was never considered ‘rich’ in my village.

So how did that happen? Actually, my grandfather was the best friend of one of the boy Nathu of village’s most rich family, Shah Family, whom most of the land of my village belonged to. Both represent their school’s football team together at the state level and won 1939’s State trophy. Friendship deepened. When my grandfather got married, in 1940, he requested his best friend Nathu for the car as he wanted to make the first journey of his bride to his family memorable and prestigious. Because my granny belonged to a relatively rich family than mine, however, didn’t possess a ‘Car’. At this, Nathu became stubborn at his home and, somehow, lend his ‘1937 Austin Sherbourne’, the only ‘Car’ in the area that time, to my grandfather. For this, my grandfather remained thankful, his entire life.

However, the most memorable incident related to ‘Car’ took place only in 1957, a decade later of India’s independence. Till that time, my grandfather’s proud had gone up very high after he participated in 1942’s ‘Quit India movement’ and became highly respected and politically active in the area. For a place where people didn’t even dare to talk to a ‘Gora’, fighting them meant a lot. However, my granny’s parental family always considered themselves rich and therefore superior. In 1957, my granny’s brother married off his son and didn’t send an invitation to my grandfather and granny. “Your nephew is being married. When would you go? Aren’t you going? Did they invite you,” the village’s women used to taunt my granny even though the fact of not getting invitation spread like wildfire. In turn, the granny wept in front of her husband. More than granny’s tears, it was a matter of pride for my grandfather. How could somebody insult him in this manner?

So, to fight back his newly declared foe, he asked his friend for his car on the ceremony’s date. Now the things had been changed. For lending his four doors’ ‘Austin’, to his friend, Mr Nathu Shah didn’t need the permission of his father and did so happily. After he got the car, he asked his wife and his son to go visit one of his friends in his in-law’s village. “Go there as a picnic,” asked my grandfather to my father, then 21. So, amid lots of confusions, my granny left with my father for her parental village having lots of gifts for the hosts. The parents of my grandmother were rich but not enough to have a car. However, after the ownership passed into their son’s hand, things changed. For him, now my grandfather just remained an arrogant person, nothing more than that. Hence, he gradually cut all the strings and when his son’s marriage was fixed, he didn’t think any necessity to invite my grandfather. My grandmother just suffered because of being married to my grandfather.

For carrying the groom to his expected in-laws’ house, they had hired a car which, somehow, wasn’t coming, neither the boy who had gone to bring the car returning. Everyone of the groom’s family was getting breathless as the time passed. The anxiety had gone up to such a level that several of the relatives of the said family had come much out of the village and walking on the road uneasily. At that precise moment, a car was seen coming towards the village. As they saw it, they targeted it as an object to vent out their frustration and anger. Also, as the car came near and they saw my grandmother and father sitting in that car, they became more than sure that it was the same one which had been hired and was giving lift to the groom’s relatives. However, they decided to use this golden opportunity to scold the driver. After all he was just a driver. In India, people think it’s their right to suppress weaker, even though they themselves are suppressed. “Where the hell have you been? Are we mad waiting here,” shouted one among them on the driver as the car reached near them. “These little rats, I tell you, are being out of control,” added another. They said more and then started discussing among themselves that what had to be done with this poor soul. Meanwhile, the driver reacted, finally. “After Gora Raj, is it Kala Raj?” The driver reacted; “Why are loading your tamper? This car is coming from Mainatand.” “We are on picnic,” added my father.

With utmost disgust and surprise, they cleared the way. The car moved to its destination. The host welcomed them warmheartedly, knowing the fact that they were there not to attend the marriage ceremony at their relative’s place. This rather made them feel honoured. Within an hour, however, my granny’s brother went there running, pleading guilty for not inviting for the ceremony. “I have committed a sin. Please forgive me sister. I am very ashamed for my act. Please come and join the ceremony and bless us with your presence,” pleaded granny’s brother. Everybody there understood all was being done for mere car. My father was afraid of his father’s reaction if they participated in the ceremony. However, roots attracted my grandmother toward her parental family and entire my father’s efforts went in vain. My grandmother refused even to think about the reaction of her husband while joining the ceremony. The marriage took place excellently and this car remained a real saviour. It preserved their prestige, after all.

After the marriage, however, there a rumour arose that the car which had been rented, didn’t come because the car owner wasn’t happy with the rent given. “See, how cheap they are, couldn’t give proper rent, that too in their son’s marriage,” gossiped people. Anyways, after the marriage ceremony, my grandmother’s brother himself came with her to apologies for his deed from my grandfather personally. This incident, about the apology thing, spread in the village like wildfire. However, it didn’t go well for my grandfather. People were mocking that the prestige which somehow came to him, was for somebody else. They termed “rented credit and respect.” This, however, hurt my grandfather’s pride and he decided to have his own car. But he hadn’t money enough to buy one. Suddenly a plan came to his mind; marry off his son and get car in dowry. After all, his son had studied in town. When it mixed with his own fame in the area, it was enough to get them a car in dowry, thought grandfather. In India, marriages are done not because some people fall in love, but rather because of several socio-political motives.

My grandfather said to some of his friends that he wanted to marry off his. They said to their friends and so on. And just within a week, flood of marriage proposals started coming which, however, lessened from the second week and by the third week, it stopped coming. Why so? Because my grandfather made the demand of car in dowry. Nobody in the area was capable enough to give a car in dowry. Not just because there were handful of riches in the are but also because my father wasn’t worthy enough for that. By the end of third week of announcement of my father’s proposed marriage, people in my village started mocking the fact about marriage proposals stopped coming. Most of then talked about it behind the back, however, some mocked in front of my grandfather. One among then was Mr Mangal Singh Soren.

There an important event took place in those days. My grandfather was going through the main street of the village. Mr Soren found him near the house of a potter, Bhim. Bhim was as usual busy making potteries of clay. As my grandfather reached there, Mr Soren said to the potter, loudly, with intention to make my grandfather hear that, “Bhim, why don’t you make a car of clay for the neo rich of this village. An Aston car like Mr Shah,” said Mr Soren and laughed. This comment made a scar on my grandfather so deep that he could not sleep that night.

Then, early in the next morning, he talked to his friend Mr Shah and decided to buy a car of himself. But then he had no money. However, his friend assured him to help economically. But that wasn’t enough. So, he sold a large part of his land, borrowed money from Mr Shah and asked his son to get a car. Thus came the first car in my home; 1958 Hindustan Ambassador. For my grandfather, Ambassador wasn’t just a car, but also a promise of safety and security. “It always assured me that it won’t face an accident,” my grandfather would say. (By Udayan Kishor)