They say the biggest debt that cannot be repaid ever is that to our parents. The best we can do is to follow the values and principles they have taught us. Nevertheless, I think I still managed to give back just a little bit to my father, all thanks to the Renault Kwid’s price.

My sister and I lost our mother even before we became teenagers. Since then, it was our father who raised us. He worked as a driver and would leave the house at 6 AM and come back late at night around 9 PM. He rarely had any days off, so we saw him either at night after he returned, or sometimes during the day, when he could steal an hour and come home to be with us.

As a driver, my father drove a variety of cars. A luxury sedan in the early morning for a doctor , then an SUV to take a businessman to his office , followed by a tempo or a lorry during the afternoons for a transport contractor. Lunch was a hurried 10-minute affair in between. Then again ferry the businessman back home, after which came the doctor’s turn, until finally, he would ride back home on his bicycle.

Over the years, his employers changed, and so did the cars—from hatchbacks to SUVs. All his employers praised his understanding of the cars, his perfect judgment of space, and his never-ending patience when he drove them to picnics or long drives. He was the one they called during health emergencies when they needed someone reliable to drive quickly and safely. My father always smiled and thanked them for their praise, took care of all the cars he drove, before coming home on his rickety old bicycle.

As the years passed, father got older, and could no longer rush around driving so many different cars. So, one of his employers got him to drive a car for a cab-hailing company. My father would take his old bicycle to the garage, pick up the car, drive it around all day, and then drop it off on his way home.
Thanks to his unending toil, both my sister and I finished school, went to college, and then got jobs. And the first thing we did was give our father a gift.

We visited all the automobile showrooms, but nothing appealed to us more than Renault, which had just completed its 10th anniversary. Finally, when we saw the Renault Kwid price, we realized it was the perfect car for our father and also suited our budget well. He had driven many SUVs and so we decided to gift him the new Renault Kwid dual tone which had an SUV inspired look.

Since it was a hatchback, manoeuvring it through Kolkata’s narrow streets would be a breeze for him. The 184mm ground clearance would ensure no pothole would be a bother. Also, we were sure that the dual airbags, ABS & EBD, reverse parking sensor and seatbelt reminders would all keep him safe on the road.

But best of all, despite having all these features, the Renault Kwid’s price was well within our reach!
We decided to surprise him and on his birthday we took him to the showroom. There, my sister and I handed him the key to his new Renault Kwid Climber.

“Because of all your struggles, we are standing on our own feet today,” my sister said. “You don’t have to work for anyone anymore,”

“We will take care of you,” I continued. “And because we know how much you love a good car, we bought this car for you.”
Tears welled in our father’s eyes. He said, “But why did you spend so much on me?”

“Don’t worry baba, we have bought this Renault Kwid under the ‘Buy now, Pay in 2022 scheme’” I replied. “And anyway, the Renault Kwid’s price is amazing. It starts at just ₹4.06 lakh (ex. showroom Delhi). That’s nothing compared to what you have given us, but we hope this gift will make you happy.”

It’s been a few months. My father does not drive anyone else’s car anymore. But whenever he does, it is always the Renault Kwid.

The bicycle, though, he sold it the day after he got his new car.