Was watching the unveiling live on television. Murphy was watching too, apparently. Because when the cars had been driven on to stage. And Mr Tata had told M/s Pachauri and Narain what he thought of their concerns. And when talk gently veered towards the most important bit - whether the car would live up to its name...

...the power went off. I don't recollect feeling so listless in the recent past.

Then Murphy went to sleep. And the television roared back to life again.

"A promise is a promise..." he was saying. And that, for some bizarre reason, gave me goosebumps.

A first year, half-wit finance major will tell you that Rs 1-lac five years ago are worth much more today. Time value of money and all that jazz. Inflation has its impact, as does risk. In this case, surging raw material prices have had their share of the fun.

But, well, a promise is a promise. Rs 1-lac dealer price, plus VAT and transportation.

For everyone who said it wasn't possible, balls to you.

(And go start figuring out how to make your $3,000 cars now - it's never too late!)