By WAF Think Tank
‘So long my baby, I shall really miss you!’ whispered Suresh to himself, as he struggled to handover the keys of his gleaming white VW Vento diesel to Anil, the car exchange officer at the VW showroom at Gurgaon. Suresh’s car had turned 10 and the law of the land had made it redundant for it to be driven on NCR-Delhi roads.
‘Doc sahb, your car is actually in mint condition. It doesn’t seem like a decade old. No wonder, we have a special demand for doctors’ cars from all over the country,’ exclaimed Anil to Suresh aka Dr Suresh Chandra, the leading cardiologist of the country and a die hard fan of VW cars!
Suresh’s VW Vento actually didn’t look more than an year old!
‘Anil, yes you are right, Doctors like me, mostly have point to point commute so their cars are maintained well. But I’m sure you would know it better than me, it’s the VW’s German Technology, the Galvanised Body, the Solid Build, the Laser welded joints which actually work as the age reversal cream for VW cars,’ mentioned Suresh with a sense of pride.
‘Oh wow Doc Sahb, VW has certainly turned you into an engineer too,’ replied Anil, delightfully surprised.
Suresh smiled instinctively and said,’ Back in the school days, during vacations, I used to visit my uncle who was a proud owner of the 1976 VW Beetle. It was one Cherry Red Bug and surely the talk of the town. My uncle and I would roll up our sleeves to work on the engine and tune it to the best! On Weekends and festival holidays, we would then go on long drives through the western ghats, across the malabar coast, traversing several states like Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka! In fact he was so attached to his VW Beetle that it has a mention in his will too!’
‘Now I’m not surprised where all these tech terms come from,’ exclaimed Mohit, the new car salesperson at the VW Gurgaon showroom, who had been smilingly and patiently listening to the conversation of the duo.
‘So all set Mohit?’ asked Suresh while trying his best to hide his school boy style eagerness and excitement.
‘Yes Dr. Suresh, all set! Please step forward to unveil your brand new VW Virtus!’ said Mohit while gesturing to a car covered with a shiny red satin cloth.
Suresh had come over to trade in his old VW Vento car for a brand new VW Virtus!
‘Ok wait, that’s the job of my daughter! Angel can you please come here? Get your mom too. Darling please join us,’ called out Suresh to the two most important ladies of his life, sitting on the other side of a display car in the showroom.
Angel hurried to the car delivery section, eager to unveil their brand new VW Virtus!
‘Papa, hope it has the same safety features as our Vento? She asked in all her innocence.
Suresh’s eyes welled up and he started staring the showroom’s ceiling. Seemed the best bet to hide the tears and perhaps to make them go back in. Gravity to the rescue! His wife, Gayatri realised the effect of Angel’s innocent question and quickly responded with a smile and a reassuring tone,’ Sweety, the latest models would have even more advanced safety features!’
Not Sensing the awkward moment, Mohit enquired,’ Why would anyone doubt that?’
‘Actually what happened once uncle, when I was a little girl and would sit in a child seat, while coming back from a road trip, we were hit by a speeding truck from the rear. After that accident, our Vento was completely unrecognisable from the back as well as the side but miraculously we didn’t even get a single scratch!’ responded Angel with a spark in her eyes.
‘So now you know Mohit and Anil’, said Gayatri, trying not to waver her speech. ‘Against the advice of the Insurance company, Suresh was adamant in getting the Vento repaired and reverted to it’s mint condition and it thereby became our family’s luckiest and all time fav car!’ She added.
Mohit quickly tried to ease the situation and said,’ Absolutely ma’am. VW Cars are Born Tough! VW Safety Standards are world class. In fact the VW Virtus has 5 star GNCAP Rating which makes it one of the safest cars in the country and the world!’
By now Suresh had begun to smile. He stepped forward, held Angel by her shoulders and said, ‘Beta, let’s do the honours now. Can’t wait for our road trip to the hills!’
The Dealership owner, General Manager and all the staff joined the family for the unveiling and a memorable send off.
The car had been decorated like a bride. The family got into the car. Suresh pushed the start button and the powerful engine of the VW Virtus roared to life!
He lowered the driver’s side window, looking towards Mohit and Anil, he called out, ‘See you later then, when it’s time for the next VW! As I won’t be able to take the red bug to work! It’s still there just for the weekends’, he added with a radiant smile. Suresh’s Uncle had willed the 1976 VW Beetle aka ‘The Red Bug’ to him!
The family smilingly waved to the dealership staff as Suresh softly stepped on the gas, slowly moving towards the dealership gate.
