Made in China


Their father bought them a car. This car. This red car. With yellow wheel caps, yellow seats and a white steering wheel. At the rear, this car sported a ‘Made In China’ tag. It was a different age. China was yet to be crowned an economic giant and ‘China’ still had a positive ring to it.

Having said that, the boys were disappointed that the car was not ‘Made in Japan’ as the other cars that their father bought them did.

The car did move with a smooth whine. For a few days, it was treated very well. Dust wiped off, many times, and given prime position right under the pillow, as the boys slept.

The days wore on and all hell gradually broke loose. For the car suddenly started finding legs of tables, chairs, humans and plain straight walls in its way.

A few months passed.

The car began to take the air. I mean, it was flying about. Hurled with supreme speed , accuracy and intent, which, if information is to be believed, inspired zillions of Tata Sumos to take to the air in Tamil movies !

The car just stood its ground. Dented here and there, the windshield broken, and the odd plastic tyre, twisted, but standing its ground. And the engine still whined very well. Made in China. It was !

A few years passed. The car still whined but moved. And pretty well too.

On a day when then mother and father were away, the younger boy, with a penchant for design and art worked on it. With a sharp blade and imagination. as tools. ‘

Volvo’. He wrote. ’10’ he wrote. ‘MRF’ he wrote. Actually, scrapping the red paint. Revealing grey metal inside. And suddenly, the car seemed to have acquired a certain character.

The rally driving he saw on Doordarshan needed an outlet. And this car was right there.

The older one, not given to such talent and imagination, hemmed and hawed. And took to moaning the loss of original paint. The parents were subtly made aware with select breaches of information. And to his surprise, they gave him a look that almost told him ‘grow up’ !

Many decades pass.

The young boy with imagination is now a successful corporate type. Using the imagination to scrape out the surface and give character to projects and proposals. And by the way, blessed with a young son, who is just studying the art of making cars fly.

And yes. The car that was made in China, when ‘Made in China’ had a different ring to it, stands. A little broken and written all over, but standing proudly !

And the older son, yes, the same one who almost got the ‘grow up’ look from his parents, hopes to garner some sympathy hits on his blog through this post ! At the least, he pleads for a different ‘look’ from his readers.

In return, he promises to work on his imagination.

13 thoughts on “Made in China

  1. Destiny shows us our future in entertaining ways. That was pucca the day your brother did a favour to Volvo and MRF with the blade, nd scraped the paint….

    How could a future creator and applier of paint, scrape it ? Asian or not ?

    If we only noticed the messages sent out by flying cars ….

  2. Major malarum ninaivugal Kavi? Are you on a trip down memory lane? Suddennly finding your old toys or toys always there inspiring you? Well using it & telling us the story is proof enough you are doing your bit of “working on your imagination”

  3. Nachi says:

    🙂

    …flying cars! yeah, as kids we sure were technologically ahead of our times! but we were called ‘destructive boys’. and then came, TV and with it Star Trek and the Fifth Element.

    made me feel like Jules Verne and his submarine dreams. vindicated.

    the other thing was flying super soldiers (aka GI Joes)…is the Pentagon listening??

    🙂

  4. corporate types always did try to rock the boat.. or scrape the paint!
    Don’t worry…. there is room in the world for the more conservative types too… and looks like you’re working on it has really succeeded already!!

  5. amreekandesi says:

    That car is one sturdy piece of work! Chinese stuff unfortunately seems to have lost that reliability over the years!

  6. Femin Susan says:

    Those are absolutely fascinating. Wonderful post! Blessings to you and your family……

  7. Sujatha says:

    Some valuable data in here for the birth order theorists. 🙂

  8. manju says:

    Kavi- Lovely story!

    And do you really think that you do not have much talent and imagination? Your blogposts reveal that you have plenty of both qualities!

  9. Were there ‘made in China’ stuff back then? I’ve no idea:( I love the vintage car though:)

  10. Kavi says:

    Ugich Konitari : OMG ! What an interpretation ! i take a bow. And i remain speechless !

    🙂

    Random Thoughts : I have my ways of assuming compliments and i take that as one ! Yes..major ninaivugal ! 🙂

    Nachi : Yes sir ! Is the Pentagon listening ! Flying soldiers and horses too !! 🙂

    Roshini : Thank you ! I am working at it ! A promise is a promise. So says Ratan Tata ! 🙂

    Amreekandesi : you bet ! You bet ! They indeed have lost out !

    Femin Susan : Welcome here. Thanks

    Sujatha : Hmm ! Thats keenly and well spotted !

    Manju : Thanks ! Thank you ! I get by with words like yours !

    Naperville mom : Really ! I am not making this up !! Perhaps it was not available on the shores of the Arabian sea ! 😉

  11. SGD says:

    The ‘Made in Chinas’ of today wouldnt last so many assaults and for so long!
    What a nostalgic remembrance of your growing up years!!
    And the older one doesnt need to work too hard….his imagination, wit and observation has so many of us hooked to his musings!!! :)))

  12. Jairam says:

    Awwwww, cho chweet, the older son gets a ‘how did you get so old so soon’ look from this reader.

  13. nsiyer says:

    Imaginative thy name is Kavi. Well written that I enjoyed the way it ended except for the humility personified.

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