Tata Nano, Mahindra and Indian cars ..

India is considered to be the back office of the world and is a great service destination just as China is considered to be the shop floor of the world. It is high time we revisited this concept and thought out new strategies that could take India not only to the forefront of the world in terms of service industry but also in manufacturing by utilising the great human resources available in the country.

The bottom engined Tata Nano spacious family car ..

The rear engined VW Beetle, German design ..

Automobile manufacturing is the largest manufacturing industry in the world, more than ship building, infrastructure development etc.. India is on the forward and upward trajectory and is growing by leaps and bounds, technologically, scientifically and economically. Innovation holds the key to Indian growth and development in the coming years. If it happens in this largest manufacturing sector, the automobile market, it is the true solution to see the Indian manufacturing industry mature and blossom and take on the rest of the world.

Given India's superiority globally in low-cost high-value innovation, be it in high technology like space exploration, inter planetary expeditions or 100% energy neutral solar powered high risk applications like international airports and the like, Indian ingenuity and innovation is undisputed ! Be it in building the fastest cruise missiles of the world, traveling at 3 times the speed of the nearest competitor or being advanced over the rest of the world by almost 50 years in the Thorium route of nuclear fission technology, or in having the most advanced meteorological satellites, it is high time we climbed down from high-tech areas to low-tech areas like automobile manufacturing and ship building where less developed countries like Japan, Germany and South Korea are dominating...

When an innovative idea in automobiles (SUVs included) is introduced in the Indian market, it is our responsibility to promote it and see that it succeeds. World over, it is safety in the low technology automobiles which is the cause of greatest concern. It is okay if the person is ignorant and unaware of the development in the country. They are the people who are not bothered about the country anyway. The fact is even the educated, scoff at Indian indigenous developments ..

Tata Nano is one of the most innovative four wheelers on the road. Not only is it less costly, it is highly efficient and GREATLY INNOVATIVE ! Safety is a great concern Tata needs to address in this car to make it the darking of the masses.

Innovative, in the case of Tata Nano in that it is the first four wheeler in the world whose engine is neither in the front, (99% of non-innovative cars have it in the front) and a fraction of cars (Volkswagen Beetle) has engine in the rear side. But there is no our wheeler in the world which has its engine below the rear seat.

When anybody tries to play down this indigenously blossoming innovation and instead insists on copying from western inventions stifling local ingenious creativity to bloom, it is great injustice to the creative talent back home.. The country's  technological independence is being played down and our technological edge is being compromised.

Tata Motors and Mahindra are the only two Indian make indigenous four wheelers in the Indian market. All other cars, are basically foreign designs or presses or engines and the like. Promoting such foreign cars does not help the local industry any more than how Tata Motors and Mahindra cars helps US or European car industry in those countries.

Every well-to -do Indian who can afford a car, if he promotes Indian innovation by these companies, it is a great action that will bear fruit in the long run.

It is a challenge to all self-claimed nationalistic and patriotic political parties, instead of gunning for other communities and power, gun for this objective that will take the country forward many aeons over other countries. The call is not to boycott foreign cars completely, but promote them to a lesser extent, learn from their experiences and failures and promote Indian cars in the long run. Only by bringing newer and advanced designs in the Indian market can Indian automotive companies innovate, grow, advance and give leadership to the rest of the world.

Now Ratan Tata has given great leadership in guiding the Nano innovation in the country, who knows what will be the next great automobile innovation to come out of India that will disrupt the world greatly and take India to the forefront of automobiles. We cannot forget the thrust provided to these indigenisation efforts, be it in high technology, or agriculture or milk productionor in nuclear energy, by our first visionary Prime Minister Nehru.

Hope the present day political leaders try to match up to Nehru's vision and dynamism in promoting indigenisation efforts in our country ..

george..