Riding on Nostalgia

Although the first motorised vehicles arrived on Mumbai’s streets in 1901,motor cabs were introduced as part of the fleet as early as 1911. Back then,the British-made 1948 and 1950 models of cars such as Hillman,Ford and Austin were used. “Those were scrapped in 1960. That is when second-hand Premier Padminis entered the market,” says Quadros.

The supply of the car was less but looking at the demand,the government in 1964 allotted 30 Fiats and 30 Ambassadors to be issued every 10 month to the taxi unions of both Bombay and Calcutta. “But soon,our licence for Ambassador was exchanged with Calcutta so we instead got 60 Fiats. And in 1971,when the cap over production was lifted,Fiats flooded the Mumbai streets,” Quadros says,adding that by 1997,the number had touched 63,000.

Many people confuse the Premier Padminis with Fiat and continue to call it that. In 1952,Premier Automobiles of India (PAL) bought the licence to produce the Italian Fiat 1100D or Millecento locally. But when Fiat pulled out in 1973,the car’s name was changed to Premier Padmini.

Over the years,Premier Padmini cabs have become an important part of Mumbai’s iconography. This is visible in the abundant use of taxis as motifs by designers in their pop art. While Krsna Mehta can be credited to have started the trend,with the taxi adorning items such as cushion covers,notebook covers,coasters,trays and so on,other design companies soon picked it up too.

The reason for such popularity,Quadros believes,lies in the fact that Premier Padminis,irrespective of the model,all look the same. “With the newer cars,— Santro,Wagon R,Alto,and Omni — these started replacing the old cabs in 2008 after the government ordered Padmini cabs more than 25 years old,off the road — one can tell one model from the other. But Padminis represented a unique image that attracts tourists even today,” he says.

This is also why designer Neil Dantass believes that the Padminis are an important part of Mumbai’s heritage and culture. “They look alike in shape but each cab has an individuality that one can see in its decor — some have mini-chandeliers and velvet-padded roofs,others have mirrors and stickers,” says Dantass,who has designed a logo for Mumbai that uses the Padmini cab as the central motif.

Director Milan Luthria,whose 2006 film Taxi 9211 revolved around a character that played a driver of Premier Padmini cab,believes that a cab’s decor is often reflective of the driver’s personality. “A no-fuss driver will keep it simple whereas a migrant will use stickers which indicate that someone is waiting for him back home. A flashy or lonely man will dress up his cab like a bride since the space is likely to be personal for him,” he says.

While Dantass says that the Premier Padmini’s exit will mark the end of taxi kitsch,Raisoni believes otherwise. “It may,in fact,gain popularity in pop art in the form of memorabilia,” she says.