Vintage carriage

Young Darayus B. Kabraji, a budding entrepreneur who conducts various educational trips, tours, camps and field trips, mainly for school students, sent an e-mail informing Parsiana that he has finally realized his three-year dream of owning a vintage bus which he has aptly christened "The Royal Vintage Carriage.”

Kabraji envisions that the bus, which made its debut on Bombay’s roads in August 2007, will be "a pivotal part of weddings, navjotes and other such auspicious celebrations… An apt symbol of the old-world values, (the bus) will complement traditional ceremonies, lending a fitting grace and an aura of quiet dignity in this fast-paced, hi-tech world of ours.”

Custom designed bus: ‘symbol of old- world values’

The body of the bus, custom designed by an automobile expert in Hyderabad specializing in creating exotic cars, buses and other vehicles, was built on a new Ashok Leyland chassis. The 64-seater has quaint lanterns nestling in its headlights and tail lights which emit a soft glow lending an old-world charm to the comfortable interior of the bus. A crankshaft has also been installed to enhance the vintage look.

"Everyone likes traveling the old-fashioned way. So, I am hoping that instead of hiring a fleet of cars, people opt for a vintage carriage instead,” a cheerful Kabraji informed Bombay Times on August 31, 2007. Kabraji may be contacted at tel no: 9821588829; e-mail: penguinholidays@yahoo.co.in; website: www.penguinholidays.in