Bought
On the instructions of Shri Nathji, Jagdish began searching for a car and finally found one at Sikand Co., near Connaught Place. Shri Nathji, Mateshwari, Pran Nath and Priya Nath all went to the shop and instantly liked the new Standard 14 Model displayed there. It was a beautiful almond coloured British car made in 1947.
Shri Nathji agreed to buy it and the bargain was made through an Instalment Company. Gopal Kasera agreed to pay the instalments of Rs.573 per month, and Bhutt became the guarantor. And thus it was that Shri Nathji became the proud owner of a Standard car, which had been acclaimed to be amongst the finest of British cars.
When Shri Nathji went to take delivery of the car he discovered that the almond coloured saloon car had been sold and that a black coloured Standard stood in its place. The car dealer apologised for having sold the almond coloured car, but said the black car looked more regal and was used by the royalty in England. Indeed, the black shine of the car and the glistening chromium grill at the front gave it the appearance of a Rolls Royce. There was even a small British flag embossed in steel on the bonnet of the car.
In the days to follow, Delhi was to witness the unusual sight of Shri Nathji riding into town in his black Standard car, looking royal and majestic, like a British Lord driving in the streets of London. He and Mateshwari sat in the back seat of the car while the children sat on the front seat together, or on the lap of Jagdish or Rajjan or Bhutt or whoever happened to be there.
There was Shri Nathji’s verse in Urdu that heralded his royal carriage in the streets of Delhi:
Aati hai jahaan men Shaahe Mashraq kee savaari
Mit taa hai syaahi kaa ye ab zange zamaana
The Emperor of the East is riding forth in all His Glory,
The dark rust of the ages is going away now
This was a verse that was to come true in the years to come, when the Glory of Shri Nathji would go out to all corners of the world, filling it with love and peace.