Most of you must have read about launch of the Nano on 17th July 2009 where Mr Ratan Tata himself handed over the keys of his most talked and arguably a revolutionary product in the Indian automobile industry.
I am certainly happy about Tata group’s efforts in bringing out this product affordable to the masses and thereby giving them the joy of a owning a car. I am also happy about all those who own or are going to own this engineering little-wonder.
However, the point here to make is about the way this launch story is being portrayed. One of the leading Marathi dailies carried a news report which stated that Marathi Manus has become the owner of the first Nano. Now, as I said earlier, I am certainly happy about the family who has received this first Nano and it may certainly be a moment of celebration for them individually or as a family. But I didn’t understand the ‘Marathi Manus’ factor in this story. Was there a need to get this Marathi Manus factor at all? It could have well been any other person who could have won the lucky draw which incidentally happened to be a Marathi Manus. While it is said that one should learn to celebrate smallest moment of joy in life, in my view, one should not over celebrate or celebrate with incorrect positioning of that moment of joy.
Many of us will recollect that as such there are quite a few trades where Marathi label is affixed automatically, for example, you take any Hindi movie in this country where you will find that the domestic maid will invariably be a “baai” - our Marathi Manus. You go to any government office, where the cabins will boast the south or north Indian nameplates of the officer but outside of those cabins will be a sepoy merrily chewing tobacco and carrying files or ordering tea, who will be our Marathi Manus. In fact sometime back, it was being said in quite a taunted and hurting tone by a section of society that - Mumbai tumchi, bhandi ghasa aamchi.
I reiterate that I don’t wish to undermine the happiness or achievement of those, whether Marathi or non-Marathi, who own and will own Nano. There is nothing wrong in owning any brand of car of your choice and affordability. I still remember my proud feelings when I first owned my scooter with my hard earned money. The point here is against unwarranted glorification. Why can’t the news report straight away read as Mr so and so has received the first Nano instead of tom-tomming about Mr so and so, Marathi Manus has received the first Nano. Is Nano is the subject matter of the news or Marathi Manus owning it? Its high time that we rise up to understand these differences and stop allowing people (at times opportunist politicians) to play with our sentiments.
I was certainly proud as a Maharashtrian when I read about the Marathi lady from Pune who conquered the Everest and I am proud about Sachin Tendulkar and Lata Mangeshkar and the list will go on and on. But we should be discreet in our celebrations. Those celebrations that may make us complacent should be avoided. One should always be careful of unwarranted praises and more importantly of those who give it. We as Marathis have enough things to be proud of and will achieve and create more to make ourselves and others proud.
The last thing that I want is my Marathi friend tells someone that he has bought a car and that other person asks him, “oh, is it Nano? And the worst still, I am waiting at a signal in my car and a passer by, a non Marathi Manus, in his BMW stops by and tells me – BMW aamchi ani Nano tumchi. Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra !
