And as far as congestion on the road goes, it’s simply not Tata’s business. India’s roads have been clogged for many years now. That governments across states and the Centre could not plan for the prosperity that would hit them between the eyes in just four years was not surprising. Work on roads — highways, expressways and intra-city networks — has begun and going forward should clear the mess. But to say that Nano will clog roads, and not any other car, bike, bus or truck, is giving Nano too much and unnecessary importance.

For a 623 cc car that’s 20 per cent smaller than Maruti 800 with 20 per cent greater volume — a space that’s clearly visible in Hall No. 11 in Delhi’s Pragati Maidan and in tune with its sister Indica’s ‘more car per car’ — that’s a lot of needless and unnecessary burden. At a broader level, to say that Tata’s small car should not hit the market because it will give so many poor Indians (and some African, Latin American and Southeast Asian countries who would like Tata to manufacture and sell the cars in their countries) access to cheap transportation, a process by which large masses of people buying these cars will pollute this planet’s pristine air, is nothing but rubbish.

It is the argument of the wealthy to keep their little spaces as exclusive as possible. It is the contention of the North against the South, the rich in South against their not-so--rich citizens. The rules of the game cannot change simply because the North chooses to change them now. By no means am I saying that just because the North has polluted this planet enough, the South must add its two bits. Of course, we need clean air, smooth roads, safe cars. But the rules for Tata’s small car in particular and emerging economies in general cannot be different from the rest of the world’s. If there are standards, they must be universal; if they’re not good enough, change the standards. But if a company is offering a product within the regulatory space, any opposition to it is best ignored.

... contd.