RIDICULOUS MODE OF TRAVEL

People I am an undeniable fast car fan; not of the Bugatti Veyron ilk but rather of the classy Porsche breed. Yet, even an avowed speed freak like me appreciates the sense in conserving fuel and minimizing pollution. But a particular Indian motor company is not being particularly helpful in tipping the balance in favor of electric cars. The company in question is the utterly style devoid REVA! Tada!...as if that was any surprise at all!

At no other time in history has the world been so collectively aware of the fuel crisis; what with the humongous increase in the fuel prices? And as a result most people are looking to cut corners wherever possible, starting with the kitchen to the daily commute to the work place. And an electric car makes very good sense in this situation. However, as I have already dealt with in a previous blog post there is something that governs the spending of the average buyer- style! I mean even 5 year old kids will give the locally produces undies a miss in favor of the 'Phoren' maal these days!

Take a look at the ultra monstrosity( in a lesser size than the word implies) that is the REVA car. It looks like it belongs inside a bakery, rather than on the roads- it's appearance all but resembling a loaf of piping hot bread! The proportions of the car are itself rather 'cutesy' but the whole treatment of the aesthetic aspect totally reduces me to a mess. The utter lack of concern for the better style judgment of people like me has convinced me that either of two things happened;

1. The REVA was designed by a pre-cambrian man who by some queer process survived thousands of years un-mummified. Style being wholly confined to the number of animal tooth and nails around the neck during the time, one can quite grudgingly humor his failure with the REVA experiment.
2. The second and more plausible explanation is that the REVA is actually being produced by giant automobile companies that are scheming to permanently put off the general public from the idea of ever owning an electric car! Think how much sense that makes... produce an electric car so grotesque that people would rather choose self-annihilation from too much pollution instead of squeezing themselves into a mobile loaf of bread!

Whatever the case I think that the REVA is doing a huge dis-service to the whole conservation movement by pressing such an ancient car( I am actually against using such a name to describe the REVA; cart would be a better word, no?) into the general consciousness. In this 21st century that is obsessed with style to such overwhelming degrees something like the REVA makes absolutely no sense.

However, there is still hope. Give the car some time to mature on a good designer's drawing board and who knows we might actually see it become a stylish, and not to mention environmentally conscious, product. As of now I'd rather ride a tricycle instead of driving that piece of ju*k!

As the grand finale, there was an episode of the BBC show 'Top Gear', the fuel guzzling motor enthusiast's favorite program, that did a small rendezvous with the REVA that has been launched in Britain too. The Britishers being rather stoic in their style sense like everything else we can quite understand the motivation of the people at REVA for launching it there. What they did with the REVA was novel to say the least. Simply put they fitted the REVA with a remote controlled device, played it like they'd do with a RCA toy and finally blew it up! I have to confess that the satisfaction I felt on seeing it being blown up was sinfully close to the satisfaction I got on watching Nadal finally beat that boring Federer at Wimbledon!