I am not much of a writer, but after interacting with one of the best and pioneering writer & journalist from the field of automotive industry and a staunch automobile scale model collector I felt the need to write a few lines on none other Mr. Adil Jal Darukhanwala. founding editor of various automotive publications in India – starting it all with Car & Bike International and then Overdrive, Car India, Bike India, CV India, ZigWheels and also Fast Bikes India.
I had an opportunity to meet him when I launched the scale model of an Indian lorry and I got a call from Mr Adil Sir. He was happy with the designs and was eager to meet up and discuss the model and also to make it better. After a few talks it was finally decided to meet him at his home as he wanted to show his scale model collections to me. When I talk about his collection its a staggering 7000+ model and at the same time kept in finely decorated cabinets throughout his house. The living room was adorned with a 1: 4 scale model of Royal Enfield. I was fixed there for some time, taking all possible snaps. We were humbled by the hospitality extended by Mrs Jayu Darukhanwala. While I was busy with Adil Sir, discussing the scale models, my wife and Jayu madam were busy with theirs. It is a lifetime opportunity to meet people like Adil sir as he is not only a collector and writer but also a rider who has done multiple rides to places like Ladhak and Himachal Pradesh. The experience he shared was tremendous for me as he had good in depth knowledge of all the automotive houses and their models in India. Also it was a time well spent with him discussing the scale models currently available in the market and also the models which are always in demand. He also cleared a lot of confusion regarding the choice of appropriate scale for collectors. I showed him the models I have made and the challenges in manufacturing scale models.
We had a good discussion about how the scale model community is taking shape in India and also about the dearth of quality Indian automobile scale models. He was interested in building a few scale models which I took note of. A Sunday well spent with people with the same passion. He also showed his collection of real bikes which included the Yamaha MT01, Triumph, Jawa,BSA, etc. Hesitantly I moved out as I didn’t want to keep him out of his busy schedule. It will take a lot of time to go through all his scale models and will keep meeting up Sir and also a great thanks for your book on Mahindra history.
