Mumbai: Ashok Vichare had come across the expression `15 minutes of fame` countless times in newspapers. But not in his wildest dreams had he suspected it to creep up on him.
On Friday morning, the 60-year-old customs superintendent from Antop Hill, along with his wife, mother and daughter, was merely excited about the prospect of owning a car -- his first. But in the evening, family in tow, he was shaking hands with Ratan Tata as flashbulbs popped all around them.
Vichare had just become the first buyer of the Nano, the world`s cheapest car, and the global media was there to capture the moment.
Vichare booked the car in the last week of February upon his daughter`s insistence. On June 25, his mobile beeped, informing him that his name was among those who had won the Nano lottery.
"It said we have won India`s first Nano. The senders later called, asking us to keep the news under wraps," said Vichare. "I felt very happy when Ratan Tata handed the car keys to my husband. It was an honour," said Vichare`s wife Shaila, who works in a government bank.
The car the family got is the Nano LX costing Rs1.85 lakh. "It is the higher-end model. The basic model cannot be used in Mumbai because of pollution parameters," Vichare said.
The car means salvation from the hectic BEST-bus commute he has been making to his Ballard Pier office all these years. It is the reason why daughter Gauri, on Friday evening, was giving him a beaming smile.
