KOLHAPUR: More than a month after Anand Mahindra, the Mahindra Group chairman, had made an offer to Dattatray Lohar, the welder from Devrashtre village in Sangli district exchanged his self-made car with a brand new SUV from the Mahindra & Mahindra stable.
Lohar received the new Bolero SUV at Mahindra company’s Sangli office.
A video circulated on social media — showing Lohar and his family members travelling in the mini-SUV he had made by assembling parts of various vehicles — had caught Mahindra’s attention, who called the vehicle a “discovery of human ingenuity”. Mahindra had then offered Lohar a Bolero in exchange for the mini-SUV.
On Tuesday, Mahindra tweeted: “Delighted that he accepted the offer to exchange his vehicle for a new Bolero. Yesterday his family received the Bolero & we proudly took charge of his creation. It will be part of our collection of cars of all types at our Research Valley & should inspire us to be resourceful. (sic)”
When TOI had first talked to Lohar about his creation catching Anand Mahindra’s eye, he had said that he would make another similar vehicle for Mahindra, but not exchange the first one as it was “his baby”.
So what changed his mind?
“I reluctantly chose to accept the offer. I later thought that if my creation can inspire many others, then I should give up my reluctance and accept the offer. The company officials gave me some time to think and said I should get back to them in case I change my mind. I did so a few days ago,” Lohar told TOI.
Before handing over his creation, the Lohar family took one last photograph with it with teary eyes. The brand new Bolero was handed over to Lohar in the presence of Congress leader Vishal Patil. Lohar rode the Bolero back to his village.
