I totally disagree with V16, and to a great extend with Bullgodji and the mole. In fact only Speedy got the situation quite right. No point being charitable.
Firstly, I have been seeing and involved myself in the vintage car scene since around 1979, visited IARC, VCCCI, and have been talking to lots and lots of people since then. Initially I started with my disastrous first entry where my car was so noisy that I was asked to move on as the band music was drowned. Since then, I can proudly say, I have come a long way. VCCCI was formed around 1982 or so, their site does not mention when. It was formed by a group breaking away from IARC. This had good support, but the irony is that IARC was better run then than VCCCI is run today. Mr. Dossa contacted a few cars owners at that time and a meeting was held at a room in the Indian Merchants chamber at Chowpatti. I got there because someone took me along. Then they founded VCCCI, had their President who paid a large sum, and founder directors selected among themselves. They also had founder members who were specifically invited, I know of a guy who was made a founder member without paying a paise. So you can see that politics started from inception. When I approached Mr. Dossa, I was told sorry, all is closed, you can be come a member by paying Rs 250/- which I did by cheque. And subscription of Rs 50/- was collected for a few years, then that stopped. (Here I would volunteer to collect membership fees
). I wonder if later "members", so called because there is practically no VCCCI administration, ever paid any member fees.
Mr. Dossa tries to hog the vintage car movement and hold everything to ransom.
There are certain members who have great trouble to get the vintage car certificate required to obtain tax concessions. Selected members have no trouble at all.
Tax Books given for updating are lost. It then takes a herculian task to get them back, if at all. There are tbhpians among this elite group.
Any chief guest etc. will mostly drive/sit in Mr. Dossa's car.
On the podium you will find Mr. Dossa and the VIP's, no one else has access. We were always told that rallies were held in summer because of lack of police permission. There are many influencial vintage car owners, how come none was asked to help? We do not need interfering volunteers, thats why.
Now Morris and Bulldogji are going to arrange/host a meeting. There is no use because what you can hear will be a host of white lies, lies, and huge lies. Please note that because of my constant badgering on tbhp and to HIS friends about the cars getting registered with RTO, he finally admitted that a few cars were indeed registered. Till very few years ago it was totally denied. That in itself is an advancement to MY cause. But the justification given for being selective, why not to do so and why so few were done is totally bogus. He clearly told at the meet that there are a lot of disputes pertaining to cars, and cited two cases. I am well aware of both cases. While it is true that there are indeed disputes, the dispute does not involve/or is due to lack of books or created books. In both cases books exist, the dispute is ownership. By that same yardstick why did he aquire Nanbhoy Mansion? Look how many old buildings are in dispute. His logic is flawed.
Then we come to cars registered. Without naming the car or their owners, in the case of one car he cited the past owner being the reason for having faith in the genuineness. Now, how did he forget that that very car used to be driven in Mumbai on a WBB plate? And that the past owner was a wheeler dealer of a certain repute? Then there is this other car which had no books, I got someone to ask the owner how did he got it registered. He said that he did not know, Nitinbhai did it. And Nitinbhai told us that the previous owner was known, related to someone. About 6 years ago for the same car he said that a part of the registration book existed. Now which is true? None.
And when the car owner gives an undertaking, taking full responsibility and indemnifying VCCCI, where is the problem?
Lying comes naturally, he did that during the Cartier event when he told all, over the mike, that the car came to him as a scrap. You see, the car was driven into Mumbai!!
I met one "volunteer" during that WIAA meet. He sat quietly listening and was asked to call for tea. These are the kind of volunteers that Shri Dossa is looking for, he will not find many.
I have heard from many that Nitinbhai is boasting that he helping to get the Star of India in. See, there he will do work to please royalty, who may not even be a member. I also know that this matter is being tackled by others at ministry level. Where does Shree Nitin fit into this when the car has still not come? Everything in VCCCI is top secret. Like the forthcoming international rally.
I do not know how many are aware, there was a Harley Davidson event at Kala Ghoda. There were only two guys inside the enclosure, Shri Nitin and Shri Harit. He did not inform anyone, I knew from Delhi. A few bike guys came in their classics but were kept out as they had no Harleys. Only one classic Harley from Mumbai was there. Need volunteers have more examples that VCCCI can never be inclusive?
This is not personal. I do not want to form another club, but VCCCI cannot be captured just like that as it has funds, vehicles, and has been granted some statuary authority and status that belongs to car and bike enthusiasts of Maharashtra. Nitin Dossa is the secretary, he should be answerable to members, do I hear laughter? Good cars which came by VCCCI were simply picked up by Nitin Dossa, never offered to VCCCI members which would have been the right thing to do.
There are a few carrots which are dangled, like waiver of green tax, help for registering assembled cars, but if VCCCI were ever to get any such authority, it will be used selectively. Meanwhile the carrot is dangled in front of hopeful enthusiasts to keep them submisive.
The biggest obstacle is jealousy, more on that later.
All posts on this subject are posted with good intentions. But change must come from within the top, otherwise you can bang your head on the wall and get no results.
Looking forward to the Pune event.
Cheers harit