Hamara Bajaj
There was a time when Bajaj scooters ruled the roost on Indian roads. Supers and Chetaks were the order of the day; Lambys had become unfashionable and Vespas tried to compete but just had to stay eating dust. And bikes with 100 km a litre had not captured the imagination of the masses. Ducati and Harley Davidson!!! which planet language are you talking??????
If in those days one had to picture a quintessential middle class Indian family, it would be a snap of a Bajaj scooter with: the father driving, trying hard to concentrate on the task at hand - of herding his family safely to their destination; the younger kid, standing in the front, wind rushing through the hair, elation written on the face at this chance of discovering the world outside; the mother, sitting sideways, clucthing the stepney tire, with a rather vacant expression; and the elder kid sandwiched between both parents, twisting his head this side and the other, desperately trying not to miss the view on account of his position. Driving further this picture into the Indian psyche was the famous “Hamara Bajaj” advert; the idea behind which was clearly that a family isn’t complete (or middle enough) without a Bajaj.
And what a vehicle it was. Not particularly appealing to look at, it made up for the lack in the looks by its sheer versatility in usage, its durability on Indian roads and the fact that whatever the problem be it would probably be solved by tilting the vehicle for 30 seconds at an angle of thirty degrees. A popular joke - “The Indian rocket did not fire. What to do? Just tilt it for a second.” said the sardarji and it worked - only helped to reinforce the hold of this vehicle on the Indian mind.
This picture however has gradually faded into obscurity (atleast for me); the once ubiquitous scooter gradually getting replaced by the more fuel efficient bikes; first Hero Honda and then followed by Bajaj Kawasaki amongst others. Therefore, on my way to Airport Road, idling away my time in an auto, I was pleasantly surprized to see this picture in front of me in life. Where earlier it would have looked perfectly natural on an Indian road, today it looked incongrous in a menagerie of vehicles; Santros, Ikons, Pulsars, Autos. And I was struck by how quickly images fade away, confined to the dusty environs that many like to call history. Till once in a while someone gets them out of that cobwebbed corner of memory, glances upon it reminiscing about the days gone by, before casting it back to the same corner.
What then has replaced hamara bajaj? Is there something that would define the state, aspiration and the hopes of the Indian middle class today? Or is the idea itself anachronistic - with the middle class so diverse as to escape a minimalist generalization of one picture?
However, I believe that this picture remains important milestone in the history of Indian society. It signalled the mass acceptance of an urban lifestyle and of the nuclear family which were important precursors to the widespread changes that liberalization of the economy entailed. In a country of such vast cultural differences, it remains one of the few symbols that was once understood all across the country. If only for this reason, the picture of Hamara Bajaj will remain etched in our memories.
May be later we can tell our kids the retrospective images of a middle class family which will always linger in a special corner of hearts that cannot be erased ever.
Caio next time . Till then Good Luck n God Speed
