For a Parisienne vintage

A fleet of vintage cars vrooming about majestically is certainly a sight to behold. But for Rupali Prakash, an automotive illustrator and entrepreneur, it was all about seizing the responsibility and creating awareness. And she is doing a neat job at that — all thanks a privilege bestowed upon her — owing to her father’s heritage collection of vintage automobiles.

Taking forward a legacy, this Bengalurean will be participating in FIVA (Federation Internationale Vehicules Anciens) — where her start-up, Classic Chase, will be a part of a vintage car drive around Paris.

She will also be custom designing silk scarves for the event, slated to take place early in November. In a candid chat, she shares the inside track with us...  

“My dad, by profession, is a heart surgeon. But he’s always been innately passionate about cars. I’ve grown up watching him collect vintage cars and going for rallies and races. In fact, it was just a normal occurrence for me and Shefali, my sister, to see classic and premium cars being assembled, customised and revamped into stellar pieces for display,” reminisces the 27-year-old graduate from Warwick University, UK.

Quiz her whether the idea of pursuing a family line was always on the cards, and pat comes the reply. “I went to the Valley School and had a pretty normal upbringing. My sister and I were never forced into carrying forward the idea.

Even now, I’m more involved with the design aspect – making vintage and classic car and bike merchandise. The shift to starting up arose because I felt the awareness about vintage cars was dying out.  I believe more than the aesthetic value they hold, its part of a heritage that the younger generation must know about.”

While she started out three years ago, the young entrepreneur believes the concept is at a very nascent stage. “People in the city are quite receptive to learning anew. And it’s very heartening to see that evident glimmer of excitement on someone’s face when they spot a Jaguar E Type 1961, Austin Hailey, Mercedes 320 or even Motilal Nehru’s Lanchester. But the idea was to never stop at enthralling, but get people to know the significance of these cars.”

Despite being fortunate enough to do what she loves, Rupali draws a clear demarcation between work and play. “I love art and everything about ink and water colours!  I aslo  love running, kick-boxing and exploring new places.”  
Currently prepping up for the much talked about rally, Rupali signs off by stating, “I’m truly excited to see how things unfold in the next couple of weeks. My fingers are crossed!”