I was passing through a small town on the outskirts of Delhi when I came across an old, dilapidated car. At first glance, it was crumpled metal, and a thick coat of rust slowly consuming what had once been shiny and new. Parked beside a faded blue fence, it seemed abandoned and forgotten by the world. The paint had surrendered to the elements, the tyres had long since given up, and years of neglect had reduced it to little more than a skeletal frame.

I couldn’t help wondering how many stories were tucked away inside that rusting shell.

The sight instantly reminded me of our own Fiat, the faithful car my father drove throughout much of the 1970s. It carried us on family vacations and on those rare, exciting mornings when Dad dropped us at school. Within its metal frame lived countless conversations, arguments, jokes, songs, and bursts of laughter.

My mother would invariably scold my father whenever he picked up speed, while we children encouraged him from the back seat.

“Kya, Dad, bailgadi ki tarah chala rahe hain aap?” (“Dad, why are you driving like a bullock cart?”). We would tease him whenever he drove too slowly.

One of my fondest memories is from a drive home after watching the Hindi film Kasme Vaade. On the way back, our Fiat suddenly began moving in the strangest manner. We were convinced something was terribly wrong with the car. For several anxious minutes, my father let us worry before finally telling us that he was simply trying to recreate a car sequence from the film. We, children, burst into laughter, but my mother was far from amused. Even today, I can vividly remember the angry look on her face.

Standing before that rusting car by the roadside, I clicked pictures and wondered why old cars evoke such powerful emotions. I realised it was not merely a piece of scrap metal. It was a monument to journeys completed, destinations reached, and memories accumulated over the years. Vehicles are silent witnesses to our lives. They carry families through celebrations and disappointments, adventures and routines, milestones and ordinary days. They remind us not only of where we once went, but also of who we once were.

Photo and text by Prerna Jain.