Team-BHP - View Single Post - The Premier Automobiles Ltd

DHABHAR.BEHRAM · 6th May 2008, 14:41

Hello to all. It is after a lot of thought that I finally decided to start this thread. I was passing by Ghatkopar in suburban Mumbai when my driver took the road from Vidyavihar station coming out at Kurla due to chaotic traffic at Ghatkopar. This road passes next to the wall of the once existing Premier Automobiles Ltd. As I worked there for 10 years, old memories suddenly filled me and I told my driver to stop the car. I got down at the original main gate and I was not surprised (because I knew it had been sold), but I was saddened by what I saw. The dark blue metal gates still existed with PAL written on them but that's about all. Everything from there onwards has changed. I thought of taking a photograph of the gate with my mobile camera but then decided against it. The sales building and the staff colony are gone forever. I then took the car back on the same road and saw that the Walchand Hirachand Research Centre (which was the name of my department - R&D) was gone too. So was the service station where I learnt almost everything I know about cars. I could see the empty shells of the canteen building and the main building still standing, as well as some portion of the paint shop and the assembly line. I stood for 2 minutes and moved away. A glorious institutional legacy wasted away.

I request all team BHPians to please post any remembrances that they may like to share regarding PAL in this thread. I will share many of them.

I request the moderators to please put this thread in an appropriate section (maybe in the vintage and classic cars section) as I do not know how to do it. By chance it is in the travelogues section now.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

6th May 2008, 14:41	#1 (permalink)
DHABHAR.BEHRAM BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: MUMBAI Posts: 336	The Premier Automobiles Ltd - The Remembrances Thread Hello to all. It is after a lot of thought that I finally decided to start this thread. I was passing by Ghatkopar in suburban Mumbai when my driver took the road from Vidyavihar station coming out at Kurla due to chaotic traffic at Ghatkopar. This road passes next to the wall of the once existing Premier Automobiles Ltd. As I worked there for 10 years, old memories suddenly filled me and I told my driver to stop the car. I got down at the original main gate and I was not surprised (because I knew it had been sold), but I was saddened by what I saw. The dark blue metal gates still existed with PAL written on them but that's about all. Everything from there onwards has changed. I thought of taking a photograph of the gate with my mobile camera but then decided against it. The sales building and the staff colony are gone forever. I then took the car back on the same road and saw that the Walchand Hirachand Research Centre (which was the name of my department - R&D) was gone too. So was the service station where I learnt almost everything I know about cars. I could see the empty shells of the canteen building and the main building still standing, as well as some portion of the paint shop and the assembly line. I stood for 2 minutes and moved away. A glorious institutional legacy wasted away. I request all team BHPians to please post any remembrances that they may like to share regarding PAL in this thread. I will share many of them. I request the moderators to please put this thread in an appropriate section (maybe in the vintage and classic cars section) as I do not know how to do it. By chance it is in the travelogues section now. Best regards, Behram Dhabhar