When I first received a copy of autoX, presented to me by a friend who knew I liked to read motoring magazines, my initial reaction was – uh-oh, one more “me too” magazine like the half-a-dozen or so already available. Having at one stage or the other written for almost each one of them in the past, as well as edited a couple of them, I thought I knew pretty much all there was to know on the subject. Which was, as a senior Corporate Communications person at one of the largest automobile companies put, in his pithy manner, that motoring magazines were there to help build perceptions with other media more than with the reading public. And that, to a large extent, is correct. For example, if you care to check out the regional language media – wholesale translation is one word, not two. And we all do know that the regional media does increasingly have an increasingly higher share in the game of perception building. Even good old Mercedes Benz now provides press releases in English and Hindi, with exquisite advertisements and brochures available in regional languages. Be Indian in India not only means getting out of dark suits into smart casuals, but also means keeping close tabs on what the regional media is saying about your automobile company – this is the new evolved mantra.

Then, the same writers who wax eloquent in the motoring media, based on exotic trips to far corners of the globe of course, also called junkets, will be found in other publications, especially the lifestyle and general interest ones. It all adds up. Thus, the motoring media has a reach way beyond simple circulation figures.

But autoX, as it evolved, and as I kept receiving copies, seemed to strike out as being different. First of all, there were a lot more photographs, of all sorts. And second, most importantly, it didn’t seem to be “aligned” to any one camp – be it by manufacturer or country. Most of all, geographically, it was from the North. Which is where, if marketing pundits are to be believed, trends are first spotted and sales are the highest.

So when the Editor-Publisher asked me if I would like to write for them, I immediately said yes, because he also gave me a free run on the subject.

Which is further why, this column will be called “AutoMotive,” as my columns on motoring have been called across magazines in the past. Not just about pretty new cars and bikes, but about matters that impact all of us in matters on the road, and also because of the time I spent working with one of the pioneers of rallying in India decades ago – Team Automotives.

Here’s a seemingly unconnected list of incidents that made the news in the last few days:

• “Students” burn 4 Air-Conditioned coaches of the Shramjeevi Express near Patna, as they were not allowed to travel in them, and then had a row with the RPF. In a similar incident, the Deccan Queen was also set on fire on the outskirts of Mumbai, a couple of years ago. This is not region specific, this business of damaging trains, the root cause being a lack of suitable alternatives
  
  
• Rahul Gandhi lands at Delhi Airport, and because of an immense traffic jam on the roads outside caused by heavy rains, takes another route to reach the Delhi Metro at Dwarka, and then reaches Rajiv Chowk by train. Others at Delhi Airport cannot use this option because there is no linkage to trains. This, when one perimeter of the Airport is a railway line
  
  
• Tour operators will be given composite permits to operate their buses seamlessly on the “Golden Triangle” circuit, Delhi-Agra-Jaipur-Delhi, covering four States, Delhi, UP, Haryana and Rajasthan. This has taken over 60 years, and even now it is not certain if it will succeed. Typically, a bus on the road for 8 hours on this route spends 3 of them at various checkposts paying a variety of charges
  
  
• There is no single list of all the tolls, entry taxes, fees and other additional charges levied on “National Highways” with anyone - not the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the National highways Authority of India or any other body. Anybody and everybody can and does erect a booth, a barrier, and issues a receipt of some sort

The big reason for this is that our road usage policies, especially the archaic Motor Vehicles Act, are designed and based on laws left behind by our British rulers. Some, like the “zakat naka” and “octroi” concept are popular as a means of semi-legal extortion in West India, are even older – these were legitimised during the Mughal Raj. The Cantonments Board Act dates back to 1834 or even earlier. All of these, and more, had one singular over-riding purpose – deny easy local and short-distance transport to the natives. Charge them, place artificial barriers to trade, commerce and movement of people. Even waterways, traditionally enjoying freedom of movement all over the rest of the world, were subject to “panidari” taxes in India, with the State (Crown, be it Mughal, Windsor or East India Company) making sure that it placed a block at every point of transit.

And that is why, to date, we have laws in place, which, for example, prevent decent public transport buses accessing railway stations and airports. Or making things difficult for any of us crossing local borders.

The short term benefit of this, apparently, is not lost on the automobile industry. Where people should be using buses and local trains, they end up buying more and more bikes and cars, which then clog the roads even more. But is this yet another diatribe against private ownership?

Not at all. Better public transport does not translate directly into lower private vehicle ownership. As a matter of fact, it leaves more disposable income in our hands, and translates into ownership of better cars and bikes. As simple as that.

And that’s what autoX is about. Better ownership.

Look forward to writing more on the subject.


Veeresh Malik
malik@autox.in