The BbyB Beacon is an electronic publication to keep the members of Bit by Bit informed about the current affairs of the company. It contains announcements of important events like training programmes, Management Review Meetings, etc.

Contact Information

      Any contributions to the newsletter in the form of technical articles, or items of general interest, are welcome. Please send them to padmabaliga@bbyb.com or padmabaliga@bbyb.sdc.int

EDITORIAL

History was made in January this year when the Tata Group unveiled the Nano, a small car with big technology for a virtually unmatched price. How did this happen? Although the team back home was aghast, the price was set at Rs. 1 lakh when the Financial Times mistakenly published a headline to the effect that the Tatas are to produce a Rs. 100,000 car (Mr. Ratan Tata had said it would cost about one lakh).

The inspiration from the project came from the pathetic state of transport in India, where public transport is either unavailable, crowded or of poor quality and safe, private transport is expensive. The challenge increased exponentially as it evolved at the design stage from a low-end rural car, somewhat like a 4-wheeled autorickshaw, to one that has no quality stigma attached and millions can buy and drive proudly.

The detractors were many, from the articulate Thomas Friedman to Newsweek to environmentalists everywhere. But the Tatas stood firm and proved again their pioneering quality, vision, and foresight. They are an inspiration to small businesses everywhere for they have shown that small can be beautiful. They prove the adage that tough times don’t last, tough guys do. It’s a tough world out there, but there’s always room for another winner!

Padma