Owning a car was once a distant dream for me. Though I enjoyed the benefits of a company car for a few years, I neither felt extreme joy when I had one nor sadness when I didn’t. I took things as they came. 

In 2007, my son had to stay in Chennai for several months. During this time, we needed to enroll my five-year-old grandson in a local school, so my son decided to buy a car—something we could use when they were here and later for ourselves. While I was content staying home or at the office, my wife enjoyed going out, and the car proved to be a convenient way for her to enjoy fresh air and sunshine. 

After my son’s family returned to the U.S., we debated whether to retain the driver. We weren’t in the habit of going out often, and paying a monthly salary for the driver seemed unnecessary. How wrong we were! 

A day before my elder son left, my younger son arrived with his family. Shortly afterward, I suffered a retinal detachment, leading to my blindness. Suddenly, the car became indispensable taking me to surgeries, follow-ups, and hospital visits. It was more than just a vehicle; it became a lifeline. 

Even after my younger son’s departure, we realized how much we needed the car. With my vision impaired, I lost confidence in public transport. The car gave me the freedom to venture out safely. 

Choosing the car itself was an adventure. We narrowed our options to the Maruti Swift and WagonR. Though we initially favored the Swift, we ended up choosing the WagonR due to stock availability. It turned out to be a blessing—the tallboy design made it easy for us to get in and out comfortably, and the driving experience was smooth. 

The only drawback was the LPG-petrol duo model. While convenient for short trips, finding LPG stations on long drives was a challenge, and the car’s performance on LPG wasn’t great. But the petrol option always came in handy. 

We took the car to our family deity’s temple at least three times. The journeys were smooth, and we never felt fatigued. It also accompanied us to many other temples. 

Such a cute, compact car—one we grew quite fond of. 

Contd. 373. The Wagon Warrior - Part 2