‘She waited five years for it’: Anand Mahindra shares emotional memory of mother’s Padmini

Anand Mahindra went down the memory lane and remembered his mother's Padmini car.

Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra sparked a wave of nostalgia on social media after reacting to a viral image that juxtaposed two vastly different automotive eras, a classic Premier Padmini parked beside Mahindra’s latest electric vehicle.

Sharing the photograph, Mahindra took a trip down memory lane, recalling his earliest experiences with cars. He wrote that the first vehicle he ever remembers riding in was a sky-blue Premier Padmini, commonly called a Fiat in the 1960s, owned and driven by his mother. What stood out even more, he noted, was the long wait and the car was delivered nearly five years after it was booked. His mother affectionately named the car “Blue Bell,” a habit Mahindra says influenced his own tradition of naming vehicles, making the Padmini forever special to him.

🙂 And the first car I ever remember riding in was a sky blue Premier Padmini, or a Fiat, as it was called in the 60’s, which my mother owned and used to drive. She received it five years after booking it, because that’s how long the waiting list for a car was in those days!… https://t.co/np0o8sqCLG

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) January 24, 2026

The post struck a chord with users, many of whom reflected on how cars of that era were more than just modes of transport. One user described the Padmini as a “milestone of an era,” pointing out how the long waiting periods, personal connections, and nicknames turned cars into cherished family members rather than mere machines.

Another commenter added historical context, explaining that between the 1950s and 1980s, government caps on production meant manufacturers could not scale freely. With demand far exceeding supply, waiting periods often stretched from five to ten years, giving rise to informal “ON payments” as people tried to bypass the queue.

Several users also shared personal memories of similar cars. One reminisced about owning a Padmini second-hand, repainting it white, and living with its distinctive belt noise, something that felt like a badge of honour at the time. Others echoed the sentiment that cars from that generation had a “soul” that modern vehicles sometimes lack, and that the anticipation of finally receiving one made the experience unforgettable.