Lying desolate and lonely in one corner of the street number
10, in Daryaganj is a dilapidated Premier Padmini numbered DL1C B 1023 (Fiat
1100-D). Once a monarch- now a junk…
The Fiat car ruled the Indian roads from 1955 to 1985 and
owning one was a matter of pride. But now only found as yellow black taxis or
worst junkyards.
Reminiscing their Childhood days, Pooja and Neha said “our
father loved this car and because he couldn’t afford it at its original price,
bought it second hand. Its number UP32 B 7777 was as special as the car itself.”
And why wouldn’t anyone have cherished the dream to own Fiat Padmini when even
our first President was a proud owner of own.
However this model of Fiat which was once called the “Maharani
of Cars” seems to have lost its identity in the crowd of the more preferred choices
like Maruti- Swift; BMW; Volkswagen etc… Its loyalist might have expected to
join the ranks of ‘Avon 6’, ‘Austin’ etc. yet that seems unlikely to happen. What
one now gets to see are the rusted, old, broken, dented Premier Padminis lying
in the debris.
Even then we do have people driving padmini taxis for the
past two decades. Today however, there are some who don’t even consider it as
an option unlike those who though not
driving have still not parted with their Padmini! Hence the lingering question-
Whether Premier Padmini has become Vintage or a Trash?
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