The triumphant Herald Car

We would be scooting along, the four of us, Jeet,on the pillion with Chotta in her lap and Chotoo standing on the foot rest, clutching the handle of the Vespa, on the streets of Poona on the week-ends. Both of us would be covertly looking at the Heralds of many colours zipping past, not that a Herald could zip.

We took a major decision I had an offer of a plot in Dehradun, the two of us had a long discussion to buy a plot of land or to buy a car as affording the two together was just out of question. The need of a house was still in distant future while a car was some thing immediate.

One day we decided to take the calculated risk and exchanged the Vespa for a ‘Conifer Green’ Herald, thanks for a 16,000 Rupee Government loan, returnable by monthly instalments of Rupees 200 for next six or seven years. This reduced the already meagre take-home pay of a senior Major of the Army to Rupees 800 per month, for Jeet to run the house and spare me 100 for the hundred litres of petrol consumed by the car every month.

Every one was excited and waiting for me to bring the car home. Jeet warning Chotoo and Chotta, again and again, all sitting on the front steps of the house, to act normal and not show any excitement on my arrival. However, all the effort was in vain; as I drove in through the gate, on to the short drive-way, both the children rushed towards the car with Jeet following slowly and with dignity. How could they resist we had over the time graduated from cycle to scooter and now to our own car.

Soon we were all in the car for a long spin towards NDA. Luckily with this in mind I had tanked-up filling petrol en route for a princely sum of Rs 20. Incidentally even after the acquisition of the car and the monthly deductions from the salary every month we still had enough to manage a decent life style.

How it became the fifth member of the family for the next 22 years needs narration. It an integral part of the family, a home away from home, a home on wheels; a dependable and loyal new member of the family, also some one to hold Jeet’s hand especially during my extended absences from the family due to my numerous postings to non- family stations.

The Herald was there always at the beck and call when needed, to ferry the children to school, emergency visits to hospital and shopping and also to carry the family for joyous reunions at the Railway station when I came home on annual or casual leave, with picnics and long overdue family outings. It served us faithfully with trouble free trips both long and short.

From Poona to Dehradun and back, the trip taken just a couple of days after bringing it home that we piled in with the luggage packed-up in the trunk, Chotta and Chotoo on the back seat, Jeet in the co- driver’s expertly acting as the navigator, with the AAWI (Automobile Association of Western India) handout for the road.

All of us were in a state of excitement but for different reasons the children for the prospects of the long car ride, the two of us of showing our new acquisition to our respective families; albeit I all the time keeping the many of my worries of possible road- hazards, the reliability of the untested car and possibility of a breakdown en route some where in the wilderness far away from any help of the risks involved while traversing the dacoit infested section of the road between Bhind/ Moreina and Gwalior and a few more to myself.

Much later from Ranchi in Bihar where I was posted to Secundarabad in Andhra Pradesh on being detailed for the Long Defence Management Course, this time with less worries, better prepared and organized. We made frequent trips to our native village on bad roads as also on no roads and innumerable drives to Dehradun when posted at Delhi. The Herald also travelled the length and breadth of India by train on my postings along with our baggage safely lashed in the EVK the special railway wagon. For the next 22 Years it served us well but for occasional flooding of the carburettor, mainly due to my flooring the accelerator pedal; direct fuel injectors for petrol cars were still in the distant future, it never let us down or met a road accident. However, with age catching up it started needing frequent visits to the mechanics and started eating into the off days to the chagrin and irritation of Jeet, naturally as she had lined- up some other plans for the day.

One day it had competitor. On the insistence of the family we brought a Maruti Omni home. Now the Herald would remain parked outside waiting for some one to brush the accumulated dust from the body, give it a wash, crank the engine and take it out for a spin but in vain. Sadly one day with a heavy heart and deep- felt sorrow I sold it. Parting from the loyal companion with heavy heart; however, I was glad to see it leaving under its own power. Seeing it disappear round the corner I had the same feeling of loss that possibly Rosy’s parents would have felt seeing the green Chevrolet sedan carrying their daughter, with me till recently a stranger, when it disappeared from their vision as it turned round the corner and sped away on that day of 22nd November 1958 from 18 Old Survey Road at Dehradun.

Brig Lakshman Singh VSM (Retd)