A passion for healing - not just living creatures, machines too! Yes, this story is all about a doctor who takes care of automobiles. Not the latest models that zip-zap our city roads, but those that belong to a bygone era-The Vintage Period. Twenty-seven Vintage cars and nine bikes (that hit the roads between 1919 and 1939), are being maintained by a city doctor.

Dr Ravi Prakash, the car-crazy doctor, takes care of his prized processions as tenderly as he does his two daughters Shifali and Rupali. In turn, these kids are equally passionate about the Vintage cars. Brought-up along side these cars, the two young girls have the whole database of the cars, starting from the make and model to the history, on the tip of their tongues. That is what surprised the bangalorebest.com team when they visited the huge garage located in the doctor's farm-house at Subramanyapuram off Mysore road. His collection includes Jaguar (1962 make), which formerly belonged to the Maharaja of Udaipur; Condulett (of Italian origin) which belonged to the Maharaja of Kutch; Dialmer (1947 make), Rocker 88 of US origin. The list continues with Ford, Sunbeam, Mercedes Benz and others.

Dr Ravi Prakash, an alumni of Mysore's Ramakrishna Vidyashala, did his MBBS and MBA, and went on to become a consultant for hospitals in health care management. But his professional engagements did not stop him from being close to his beloved cars. He recalls, "It was my love for racing and rallying activities that made me get deeply involved with cars. Sunbeam was my first car which I got from Maj.Gen. Mahadeva in 1979. I have been able to collect as many as fifty cars since then."

Maintaining them all is no easy task. "Its indeed a Herculean task to maintain them. I could keep only thirty-five per cent of them in running condition. Half of the remaining are in a semi-running condition and the rest are just grave pieces. I have cut the number down to twenty-seven cars. Their maintenance is a very expensive affair. I have a dedicated team of fourteen mechanics, including painters."

But all the agony of maintenance vanishes as he narrate the memories associated with his precious cars. "Many Kannada films of Ambarish, Vishnuvardhan and Ravichandran have featured them. Kamal Hassan's recent film Hey Ram showcased many of my cars." His vintage beauties were also used to escort the tennis legends during the Legends Cup.

The doctor's cars take part in the annual Vintage car rallies. His wife Sabeena, a proficient driver, never fails to occupy the driver's seat at these rallies. She was the runner up in the recently held Vintage Car Rally 2000 conducted by the Karnataka Vintage and Classic Car Club (KVCCC).

Another point of interest is the significance of the number NINE in Dr Ravi Prakash's life. The number plate of most of his cars have this digit and it repeats in his phone numbers. When asked about this, he replied with a smile, "That number is special to me, right from the Ramakrishna Vidyashala days, where my roll number was nine!" Well, his vintage collection is certainly special, not just to him but to all Bangaloreans with a yen for antiques. After all, old is truly gold!

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