Nano car muse

Morning is the time, when I sit on my special chair in the corner of the room, by the window. It is the time of the day, when I read a newspaper or watch the news on TV. This is my favorite space which has good vibes and it helps me recall the feeling of peace. It is a spot where the energy works for me and I can feel the tension release, until, I hear my wife say “Good Morning!”

Things are never the same, thereafter.

It is the silly matters that distract me from her. She will enter the bathroom and scream when she finds that the napkins in the bathroom have not been placed back on the hook, or how I had squeezed the toothpaste that was not as per her instructions, or why the soap dish is not kept in a particular position. Silly me, I keep forgetting her instruction all the time.

But, even on the days when I am very careful, there will be some issues that I can never handle.

Like, today morning, my wife says that she wants to buy 'Tata Nano' for our maid.

“Why does a maid need a car?” I protest

“Because she is always late to work.” And then she tells me how difficult it is for her, to do all the work, when there are bus strikes.

The conversation then shifts to Nano’s price, which is very attractive and affordable. As she goes about, doing all the odd jobs in the house and going to and fro, from kitchen to bedroom, from preparing breakfast to putting things away and dusting all the rooms, she talks about people who own entry-level cars, who are now thinking of going in for either one Nano or maybe two, which will cost the same as their existing car. So, there would be one car for the head of the family and another for the family.

Nano car has been one of the hottest topics in every home. Few days ago, my friend was mentioning about the great discussion he was having in his family, with his neighbors, with lift man and even, sometimes with his dog! Everyone is excited about this new car.

I leave my special chair, my meditative space by the window and start to dress up for the office. I shave, bathe, dress and keep nodding my head as she tells me about the taxi driver, who wants to replace his car with Nano, because he is confident that he can easily cover the lakh that he will need to invest in. She talks about a new range of auto repair shops and accessories that might spawn at every street corner, she mentions the local milkman who has started thinking of holders on the side of his car for his milk cans, about the curbside Chinese joint, who is thinking of turning mobile via the Nano.

Where does she find so much energy to talk so much, early in the morning? The day had not begun. I wished somebody would invent a remote control with a volume control to turn off the volume of the conversation that we don’t wish to hear. New technology is discovering all kinds of things to make our life comfortable. I was beginning to feel that somebody out there must surely be working on this too. What fun would that be? I would use the remote to hear the conversation of my neighbor’s wife. Selective hearing, isn’t that what it is called? Channel one…flat number one, channel two, flat number two, channel three……..

“Hello, are you listening?” she says as she emerges from the kitchen and smiles as me.

“I particularly liked the steel Grey Nano. It has a style of its own. It’s affordable and looks quite comfortable. It’s good for a small family. I am keen to know when bookings will kick off,” she says as she sets the breakfast plates on the table.

“It’s an affordable car, no doubt. But I would rather wait a year before buying it, just to see what the experience is like,” I say, as I chomp on a sandwich.

“What do you mean? Do you want me to look like a fool in front of my kitty party friends?” She says, wide-eyed, glaring at me.

The sound of the door bell breaks the spell as her favorite maid reports to work.