VIZAG matters - Sohan Hatangadi's Blog

Cars that shaped character - Times of India My article Cars that shaped character Times of India  5 March 2017   H e loved to bring home neglected old beauties. He kept his eyes out for these abandoned ladies. They could be found in unused sheds or under a large tree. They sat on stones, disheveled and covered with bird droppings. They had not been washed for several years but one look at them and you would know that they were beauties in their younger days. Their smooth flowing voluptuous lines, their proud stance, their demeanor all screamed out to those who cared. “Take me home honey, look after me”, they seemed to say, “Fix me up and take me for a spin … and I will show you my true colours.”  He could see beyond the tired façade and knew that there was a seductive promise here. He had to own her! My late father loved old cars. Citroen, my childhood sweet heart Sometime in 1961 he purchased a 1947 model Citroen in Calcutta and drove it home. She wa...

Tackling Vizag’s traffic woes Times of India dated 17 January 2016 One of the most dramatic changes that have taken place in Vizag is the numbers of vehicles that are used on our streets. Not only have the numbers increased but also the different types and makes of vehicles. When today’s old timers were in college very few households had bikes or cars. The four-wheelers we would see on the streets were the ugly Ambassador, the plain looking Fiat Premier Padmini and an occasional Mahindra Jeep all which started manufacture in the 1940’s and slowly made its way all over our country. Two-wheelers on the streets were the Vespa, Lambretta, Bullet, Jawa and Rajdoot. In the 1970s you could sit opposite where the RTC Bus Stand is now and would see perhaps 20 private vehicles in an hour of street gazing. Chaos on our roads Then in the late 1990s the automotive industry was released from the shackles of the license Raj and suddenly the action on the street changed. By the year 200...