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Pleasure cruise on road
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Sundar Krishnamoorthy's Tata Safari is more than a vehicle. It is a bedroom, a living room and an office rolled into one
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OWNER'S PRIDE Sunder Krishnamoorthy relaxing in his car Photo: N. Sridharan
Cars do not just move from point A to point B. They also speak - about their owners. Entrepreneur Sundar Krishnamoorthy's cars tell you he tires easily of what is standard. In 2003, when the State Government was cracking down on houses that did not have rainwater harvesting systems, Krishnamoorthy installed one in his Maruti Esteem. He equipped the car with a kitchen as well.
Now, Sundar has made his Tata Safari more than just a vehicle. It is a bedroom, a living room and an office rolled into one. The seats, except for the driver's, have gone. There are two cabins - one for the driver and another for the passengers. The second one is fitted with a thick mattress, a refrigerator, a television-and-VCD unit, a camera that relays the traffic in front, a telephone (`To pass on instructions to my employees'), a fax machine (`When I come across an accident, I fax the details to police stations') and a make-up cabinet (`That's for the ladies of the house'). That's not all. A Sonett SNA - 400A cyclone warning equipment sits atop the car. Thanks to a timer system, slokas issue forth from near the bumper when the car hits Tirumala, from Chennai. A mike to instruct the driver completes the modification effort.
The whole exercise cost Sundar Rs. 2.50 lakhs and lots of leisure time. For, finding appropriate accessories and fitting equipment was difficult, to put it mildly. Whenever an accessory was not available in the local market, he would go the extra mile. In fact, many miles - most of the `extra' fittings have been sourced from abroad. That would have cost Sundar a few thousand rupees more. But he does not mind it. For, "the results have justified the expenditure". He calls the SUV "a pleasure cruise on road". Sundar will make this experience available to the public, when he sets up two motels - Mr. & Mrs. Idly Sambar at Irungattukotai and Dossa Inn at Sriperumbudur (opposite the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial).
The man is not stopping with cars and SUVs. He has set his eyes on a bus. A 58-seater is soon to turn into a master bedroom, a conference hall and a puja room. And, what comes after a bus? You cannot help wondering.
PRINCE FREDERICK
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