On any Sunday afternoon these vintage cars glide on the roads with ease, much away from the maddening crowd.

It was their foresight that made the Mahajans make an investment in a property on the outskirts of the Capital. The price factor weighed heavily on their minds - something not inexplicable given the development that came around in the suburbs. Would the narrative appear to be the same when one's fascination for vintage cars is defined? There would hardly be anyone who would agree on this count as vintage cars have among other factors been assiduously preserved for the flourish they endured during a period gone by. Having been patronised by the royalty in the past, this has been a test case for those people who have stood by them.

The first impression that came across when these cars hit the roads on a Sunday afternoon was that there would have been an occasion that led these cars to join the contemporary machines of the times. But the media by and large skipped the event. And this would have made me believe that I was failing in my judgement. It was not a case of being entirely out of the loop as these cars appearance had a lot to do with the statement they made when they were headed to the outskirts of the Capital.

This reminded me of umpteenth occasions in the past when a congregation of these machines has taken place with the primary objective of bringing on board the strong sentiments the people share for them and this time it was no different. Dissecting the virtues of a period gone by brings to the fore the issue of how these cars fared on the city roads when the vehicles were few and far and those who have endorsed it, their faith in the same has remained rock-solid.

As these machines paced up and down the roads of the Capital, they were a relief for the territory as well, which on any normal day is choc-a-bloc.

Having deciphered the occasion on when they hit the roads, the next probable query would be on how one is supposed to view them given the fact that they have been patronised by the royalty (been the preserve of Maharajas). Essentially during that period, those behind the wheels were aristocratic by nature and yet the utilitarian value was unparallel.

Parading the niceties of life was an appropriate description of these machines as technology and the series of breakthroughs were miles and ages away. So what all the royalty could do was park themselves inside them and let their movement speak of their stature.

The royalty still patronises them; the common man looks at them in awe and the roads on where they run they embrace them with a string of considerations. They happen to be with no sign of majority taking to the metros, the roads being choc-a-bloc from two-wheelers to big four wheel drives (all sharing space) and yet the not-often-visible entity finding space to makes its way into the teeming roads.

[Summary box, inset]

* Vintage cars have been assiduously preserved for the flourish they endured over a period.

* Their appearance is to do with the objective of bringing on board the strong sentiments the people share for them

* Parading the niceties of life was an appropriate description for these machines at a time when technology and breakthroughs were miles and ages away.