Chetak's dead

Bajaj ceased production of the Chetak on 31st December 2005. To most Indians brought up during the 80s (like me), this would come as a shocker.

This one time icon of Indian middle class mobility would have waiting periods stretching into years back in the 70s & early 80s. Our own Chetak is a 1976 vintage bought from Punjab (yes!) in black (not the color, the premium over the prevailing market price) for Rs. 6000/-. It was what I learnt driving on.

Rahul Bajaj had this to say, "the customers had just given up on it". About time thay did something like that, I think. I won't exactly miss it since it symbolises an era when everything was in short supply in the-then socialist economic environ of the country. But it does mark the end of an era.