the ambassador turns fifty in style

It's been the iconic workhorse of the Indian roads for decades, the favourite of cabbies and government babus alike (it's the only Indian-made vehicle that can be upgraded to a bullet-proof version). And this year, the Ambassador car celebrates its golden jubilee with new models to reinforce its cult following, both in India and abroad.
Originally based on the 1948 Morris Oxford and, subsequently, the Land Master, the Ambassador was born in 1957 and lorded over India's modest car market for decades. In its heyday, the 1970s, the CK Birla-owned Hindustan Motors sold 15,000 of these clunky machines every month.
Of course, the advent of a whole new generation of vehicles has seen Ambassador sales dwindle to less than a tenth of that number, with central and state governments, as well as the tourism sector, still its most loyal customers. Says Hindustan Motors managing director Ravi Santhanam: "In its golden jubilee year, we plan to leverage both the great legacy and robust brand recall and will be introducing a new model every year."
The new models will be run on all four fuel types-LPG, CNG, petrol and diesel-will come with a sunroof and better styling.
The car's iconic stature was underlined by the Smithsonian museum, which held an exhibition of the Ambassador a few years ago. And if further proof were needed of the Ambassador's brand power, Richard Branson provided it in plenty when he rode atop one when he launched Virgin Airlines in India. Recently, a British firm even started a luxury taxi service in London with a fleet of exclusively Ambassador cars, charging £40 an hour.
Clearly, in its 50th year, the Ambassador is all set to spread its irresistible charms worldwide!
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Mumbai needs to be more cosmo not less

Bombay needs Cosmo character
Mumbai has many attractions that work as a magnet for investors. It has a tradition of commerce, a deep-sea port, a vibrant stock market and most of all a hardworking workforce and a cosmopolitan culture. These values have combined to make it a financial powerhouse with a majority of Indian and multi national firms headquartered in the island city.
The cosmopolitan culture of the city though is under fresh attack. Like its ramshackle infrastructure, cosmopolitan Mumbai is degrading by the day. The latest assault comes from a politician known for his strident chauvinistic line.
The controversy started with Raj thackery’s comments on film star Amithabh Bachchan questioning his credentials as a true citizen of the city just because he was the brand ambassador of another state - Utter Pradesh.
He also questioned the right of religious festivities observed by migrant labors from uttar Pradesh and Bihar. His followers bashed up people of these states at a political rally the next day for good measure.
While it is true that there has been a slow and continues process of ghettoizing of Mumbai since the 1970’s, when Shiv Sena a party pioneered pandering to lower middle class Marathi chauvinism with attacks on Gujratis and South Indians of the city. The Mumbai riots in the 80’s further ghettoized the city. Even earlier during British times Mumbai was neatly divided among communal lines with different clubs and residents for different communities leading to an ethnic separation. However the difference between that time and now is that Mumbai's people worked and co existed as one.
If Mumbai is to remain the financial center and commercial capital of India this slide in communal harmony and cosmopolitan way of life needs to been arrested immediately.
In a global world the Indian state often needs to take a stand when Indian minorities are harassed overseas. Most recently this happened in Malaysia and Kenya. Ethnic Indians also face visa discrimination in the UK. A country can hardly take a stand on such issues if at home its own people are treated as outsiders with impunity. It is for the center to take a stand put an end to this dangerous trend of rule by the mob. Capital flees ghettos and embraces stability this is a lesson Mumbai knows well. Not to arrest this slide now will tantamount to killing the proverbial goose that lays the golden eggs