Disabled Left Behind
in the Race of Cars
If wishes were cars, most of us
would have a fleet of the most desirable cars of the world in our garage—Rolls
Royce, Lamborghini, Ferrari and Bugatti Veyron. Sadly, wishes are not cars and
most of us have to do with lesser cars or no cars at all.
The automotive market in India has
opened up and we have various types of cars now. If one studies the market, it
shows more than just cars or two-wheelers. It tells the story of a country
changing so quickly through the kinds of cars available that one could actually
tell where its people stand and where India is headed for?
The cheapest car in the country, or
anywhere in the world, is Tata Nano. Ratan Tata has single-handedly made the
dreams of millions of lower class and rural Indians of owning a car possible. Aimed
at the aam aadmi, it is nano-sized and nano-priced.
However, contrary to expectations,
its positioning as a cheap car proved to be its undoing, and it is struggling
to find a foothold in the auto sector. It goes to show the rising aspirations
of the common person for whom a car is not just a vehicle of mobility, but also
a statement of one’s position in society.
At the other end of the spectrum are
designer cars that have been added flourishes by people like Dilip Chhabria, to
make them stand apart. The cost is no bar, one boasting a `4-crore price tag.
They are for ones who go for the snob value of a product, and want something
exclusive.
A very different vehicular segment,
largely ignored, is for those among us who are less visible and not considered as
market for cars; the un-factored but huge segment of people with disabilities,
who number about 7 to 10 crores.
With public transport not being
disabled-friendly, this section remains largely cooped up in their homes, not
because of physical handicap but because they do not have a viable means of
travelling around independently. Hence, they remain deprived of education,
employment, entertainment and other activities. So, instead of becoming a
contributing and productive segment, they become a liability to society.
On the positive side, one vehicle
has been designed for people with disabilities. Called Plexus (Personal Vehicle
for Transporting Wheelchairs), it is a vehicle in which a wheelchair can be
wheeled in directly for the user.
If India wants to accelerate its
sluggish pace of development, all of its people need to be mobile, independent
and on the go. This is a vast market for technical products that manufacturers
are not tapping into. With the assistance of such customised products, a new
wave of workforce that is being left behind can enter the job market. This can
only enhance our economy.
Now, if someone from the government throws a dinner and
brings together such revolutionary people who think off the beaten track, leave
them in a room for 30 minutes and then see, what emerges out of that extempore
boardroom meeting! I have a feeling it would be a vehicle of progress with the
body aesthetics of a DC, the mind of a Tata and the spirit of a professor.
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