Ram Banerjee was through. His shift had
just ended, but where any other worker would have been glad to leave the
factory, he walked to his white Maruti 800 with a slightly heavy heart. Ram was
employed as a floor manager for the Hindustan Motors factory in Uttarapara,
West Bengal, and was closing in on twenty-three years with the company.
His tenure with HM had begun in 1989 on the assembly line where he was tasked with fitting and then checking suspension assemblies. Ram’s excellent character and leadership qualities were soon recognised though, and he mechanically moved up the ranks to floor manager, where his ascent had plateaued over the last six years.
Ram was laid off today. He was not all surprised though. After Ambassador sales and production plummeted steadily post the mid-1990s, he knew he was lucky to have been held on for so long despite being a broad shoulder of the ever-dwindling workforce. Heck, even he had sold out, he felt, after selling his treasured and mechanic-friendly Mark II Ambassador three years ago in exchange for Mighty Mouse. Having to work for a different manufacturer after all this time was going to be tough with new sensitivity and loyalty yardsticks.
It was late and he knew Manju, his wife, would be asleep. They hadn’t had time to do the grocery round yesterday, so he decided to pick up some south Indian takeaway, and forget the day in front of the idiot box. He reached home and slid into the cane recliner, not hassled by table etiquette or a plate at this midnight hour. The television crackled on and ironically, three channel flicks down, an Ambassador seemed to be the unusual apple of the camera’s red eye.
A detergent commercial came on air, and Ram rose to get his cigarettes on the table. He lit one and drew deeply, and sank back into the chair.
“While the Hindustan Ambassador began life with a side-valve motor that produced little over 35bhp, the latest iteration of the Ambassador is available with a number of engine options: a 2000cc black smoker that produces 56 PS, and the Isuzu 1800cc petrol that produces a healthy 75 PS, with both powerplants available in CNG form as well. Called the Avigo, it also sees modern fittings like bucket seats, power steering and a factory-installed air conditioner.”
“Modern fittings are what you see in new bathrooms. Idiots. No mention of the Amby’s origins?” Ram knew that all Ambassadors were based on the Morris Oxford III, while the previous generation Landmaster was tooled from the Morris Oxford II. He fondly recalled his father’s black Landmaster with its characteristic downward-curved boot shape and rudimentary two-spoke steering wheel. As a kid growing up, he used to try spotting differences in replacement Ambies. He remembered noticing the fins on the first Ambassador which were all the rage in the late 1950s, and how the grille and headlamp covers had morphed. He hated the confused design attempts on the current Avigo however.
His tenure with HM had begun in 1989 on the assembly line where he was tasked with fitting and then checking suspension assemblies. Ram’s excellent character and leadership qualities were soon recognised though, and he mechanically moved up the ranks to floor manager, where his ascent had plateaued over the last six years.
Ram was laid off today. He was not all surprised though. After Ambassador sales and production plummeted steadily post the mid-1990s, he knew he was lucky to have been held on for so long despite being a broad shoulder of the ever-dwindling workforce. Heck, even he had sold out, he felt, after selling his treasured and mechanic-friendly Mark II Ambassador three years ago in exchange for Mighty Mouse. Having to work for a different manufacturer after all this time was going to be tough with new sensitivity and loyalty yardsticks.
It was late and he knew Manju, his wife, would be asleep. They hadn’t had time to do the grocery round yesterday, so he decided to pick up some south Indian takeaway, and forget the day in front of the idiot box. He reached home and slid into the cane recliner, not hassled by table etiquette or a plate at this midnight hour. The television crackled on and ironically, three channel flicks down, an Ambassador seemed to be the unusual apple of the camera’s red eye.
Turned out it was a historical
tribute of sorts to the Ambassador and, despite the crappy day, Ram smiled inside. If
ever there was a true fan, it was Ram. He had known no professional life outside
the gates of the Hindustan Motors factory, but was still fiercely loyal to the
carmaker. He began his career at the factory the day after his eighteenth birthday
and bought a ‘68 Ambassador with his first chunk of savings at twenty-three. He
turned up the volume a little and opened the banana leaf package of idlis and
coconut chutney.
A baritone voice narrated, “If ever there
was an Indian automobile that deserved the status of ‘Grand Old Lady’, it would
have to be the Hindustan Ambassador. Until only recently has this iconic car
been one of the chief means of personal transport across the country, from the
average family right up to the top brass of government. While new-age cars have
almost sent the Amby into extinction, few motor vehicles invoke nostalgia like
this four-wheeled national symbol.”
Hm. "Might actually be worth a watch, this,"
Ram pondered as he took a sip from the water jug.
“Hindustan Motors may claim that the
Ambassador has evolved since its inception, but fact is the car has hardly
changed from the 1950s, save the engine transplants and minor styling
alterations. Despite changes of nomenclature, from the first Mark I model to
the current Avigo, the basic silhouette has been retained across the range. And
why not? At one stage, the Hindustan Ambassador was the best-selling car in
India, with its Uttarpara facility mass producing at full tilt. Interestingly,
in 1800ISZ guise, the Amby even had the impressive claim to fame of being the fastest
production car in India.”
Ram knew that was true. He recalled trying
to chase a 1.8 Ambassador driver that cut him off the road and unleashed some
nasty vocabulary. After three kilometres of trying to keep up in his 800, Ram
gave up. Old won gold that time.
“However, the biggest selling points of the
Ambassador were its spaciousness, high comfort level in the rear and the good
ride quality for the time. Even the multitude of luxury automobiles now available
in the country have to try really hard to emulate the back seat opulence that
the Amby so popularly provided. This legend ferried pretty much the whole of
India, from the average family and their cat right up to the top brass of
government.”A detergent commercial came on air, and Ram rose to get his cigarettes on the table. He lit one and drew deeply, and sank back into the chair.
“While the Hindustan Ambassador began life with a side-valve motor that produced little over 35bhp, the latest iteration of the Ambassador is available with a number of engine options: a 2000cc black smoker that produces 56 PS, and the Isuzu 1800cc petrol that produces a healthy 75 PS, with both powerplants available in CNG form as well. Called the Avigo, it also sees modern fittings like bucket seats, power steering and a factory-installed air conditioner.”
“Modern fittings are what you see in new bathrooms. Idiots. No mention of the Amby’s origins?” Ram knew that all Ambassadors were based on the Morris Oxford III, while the previous generation Landmaster was tooled from the Morris Oxford II. He fondly recalled his father’s black Landmaster with its characteristic downward-curved boot shape and rudimentary two-spoke steering wheel. As a kid growing up, he used to try spotting differences in replacement Ambies. He remembered noticing the fins on the first Ambassador which were all the rage in the late 1950s, and how the grille and headlamp covers had morphed. He hated the confused design attempts on the current Avigo however.
The narrator solemnly concluded, “HM’s
iconic Ambassador seems to be wheeling down the green quarter-mile. Most of
this generation would have driven or been driven in an Amby sometime in their
lives, so it’s sad that fewer and fewer Ambassadors seem to be around these
days. No doubt inevitable, because there are better cars available now for less
money.”
He turned the box off.
There are better cars, yes. But they will
evolve faster than you can change from second to third in steadfast ol’
Greenie. His mind lifted as remembered the time his Ambassador’s rear slid out
unexpectedly on a wet ghat road and how he almost didn’t catch it...
Author Illustraion
