Contessa, Mehran, & Santro | #155
Also, the Wednesday Addams dance 💃🏽💃🏽
(An earlier version was sent out with errors in the formatting. We apologize for the mistake)
"Anybody who drives slower than you is an idiot, and anyone who drives faster than you is a maniac." - George Carlin
Driving a car in India can sometimes be an adventure sport - what with avoiding potholes and a**holes, tolerating hoots and ch**ths.
But there was actually a time in India when there were fewer cars on the streets and the sight of certain car brands would turn a few heads. In this week’s newsletter we go down the memory lane and look at some of these memorable cars from our childhood.
Things we learnt this week 🤓
In 1983, Maruti Udyog Limited, in a joint venture with Suzuki, made a grand entrance with the powerful Maruti 800. Remarkably, the Maruti 800 enjoyed an impressive production run of over 31 years, finally ending in 2014. Suzuki ventured to Pakistan, introducing the same car as the Suzuki Mehran in 1988, continuing its production until 2019. It's amazing how the love for the Maruti 800 unites both India and Pakistan, alongside cricket and movies.
Hindustan Motors was synonymous with the sturdy Ambassador. In 1984, they adopted a Vauxhall Victor FE car and released one of India’s earliest luxury cars. They gave the name ‘Contessa’ meaning Countess in Italian to signify sophistication and elegance. It quickly became the choice of car for the Babudom in India. It also became the easy way to show villains in movies as they would be the shady, rich folks who could afford a Contessa.
The Hyundai Santro, fondly known as the "Tall Boy" in India, made its grand entry into the Indian automotive market in 1998. The etymology of the name "Santro" is taken from Saint-Tropez, the French city famous for fashion—because the company wanted to project it as a ‘fashionable’ new car. Given that an unknown Korean company was launching this car, no expense was spared in marketing it as they roped in Shah Rukh Khan as an ambassador. Another ambassador unknowingly is ‘Santro’ Ravi, a notorious Bangalore rowdy who got his nickname because he was fond of the Santro and police kept an eye on Santro cars to track Ravi’s movements. When life gives you a Santro, hope it is SRK and not SR.
From IWTK, with love 💌
Rabindranath Tagore had a complicated relationship with Victoria Ocampo. Know more about that here.
If you have watched Wednesday, then you will want to know more about the iconic dance by Jenna Ortega. Here it is.
From IWTK, with love 💌
Where do we even begin with this one?
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❤️ IWTK