Big ideas are born out of constant deliberations, hard work and hours spent in rather boring board meetings. Right? Well, only the last bit. And if you believe Ratan Tata, some time spent doodling, or make that a lot of time spent doodling can just ensure that you hit that grand idea. One would ask, ?What can a mere doodle give you?? It certainly didn?t give Ratan Tata anything big, but something really small or rather the smallest, the Nano. Who?s up for another fun-fact? The price tag that really defined the Nano for most of us, the ?one-lakh-car? was just a casual comment that Tata made to a journalist at the Geneva Motor Show back in 2003. The journalist made sure that Tata stuck to his word, with a story in the next day?s paper. And thus began the journey of Tata?s and in a way India?s smallest yet grandest dream.

Small Wonder- The making of the nano, gives you everything you would ever want to know about the car. And while it suffers from the many ailments that an authorised biography carries, like that of being a hagiography, it is still quite a worthwhile and enriching read, especially for auto enthusiasts. This book chronicles the small car?s long story right from the drawing board to the showroom, with the minutest of details about car engineering, from dashboards and wipers to the orientation of the engine, right down to the number of bolts on the wheels. And as expected, ?Cost, that constant bugbear,? is what leads the project in every way. The story is told through many Tata motors officials involved with the project in various capacities, including Ravi Kant, vice-chairman Tata Motors and Harish Wagh, who led the project. The story of the involvement of the team with the project is inspiring and dream like, with the chairman (Ratan Tata) himself acting as the driving force behind the car, interacting directly and openly with young engineers who never really thought that they could ever work with the man himself in such professional proximity. The book makes no bones about the status of reverence it provides Mr Tata with as his ?passion and enthusiasm rubbed off on everybody? and calls him the ?inspiration-in-chief? of the project. It showers similar praise on Kant, Wagh and others involved with the project. All of it is pretty much fine and accepted, especially when you read this story of absolute grit and unshakeable faith and teamwork. But the problem starts as soon as this book turns into an advertisement for the Nano, a full-blown 149-page ad at that.

For a book that bears the copyright of Tata Sons, it was all but expected to provide the truth as Tata Motors sees it, especially with regard to Singur. But interestingly, it is just not as critical of Mamta Banerjee as one might expect. In fact, the book takes a cynical yet scathing dig at West Bengal?s ?politics of opportunism and the hostility it bred?, and even the state government gets the spanking. It minces no words in declaring that the Tata Motors team had misgivings about West Bengal, but it was ?a leap of faith? by Ratan Tata who trusted the state?s political leadership and wanted to partner in bringing development back to the state. It also goes on to hint at the mismanagement of the issue by the state administration and tries to clear he Tata name as ?Tata Motors had never been a part of the land acquisition process. It was initiated and handled by the state government.? But another political leader on the other end of the country receives high praise for providing Nano with its new home in Sanand in Gujarat. Narendra Modi is complimented with running the state ?like a professional CEO of a company?.

While the book is quite informative and provides a lot of inside details of the project, one has to really make an effort reading it. The last three chapters, however, are surprisingly interesting with compilations of the reactions from various quarters about the car and the incredible story of how Tata Motors rose from almost-ashes at the turn of the century to become the force that it is today, with global acquisitions and new launches. But here too, it leaves a stamp of being partisan, with its criticism of Suzuki Motor chairman Osamu Suzuki, while the book itself consistently tries to pitch Nano as a better car than the Maruti 800.

It would have done a world of good to the book had it been edited with a little more clarity and care. The fact that it?s written by no less than three authors is hard to miss as names and designations are repeated and explained again and again, to the extent of being obnoxious. For example, Ravi Kant is introduced in every chapter as ?Vice-Chairman? or ?then MD? or even ?then MD now Vice-Chairman?. Now add to that at least five others who feature consistently throughout the book. For all its inconsistencies, Small Wonder is still worth your reading time, with some effort of course, as the inspiring story of a car that at least promises wonders. However, one can?t help but judge this book, at least in part, as a pre-mature celebratory brochure and the biography of a legend-yet-to-be.