Nano bookings have started. No, the rush isn’t of nano-size, if that’s what you were hoping for.

Even the rush to check this small wonder out at Westside and Titan showrooms is no less gigantic than the gate-crashing crowd at the car’s Delhi and Mumbai launch.

Probable buyers from all walks of life are checking it out. Some are serious about the money they want to invest while others just want a taste of the latest craze. Even the diamante-dripping socialite, who thinks it’s a disgrace to discuss a car that costs just half her monthly budget, is discreetly sending her chauffeur to fetch a booking form. “Arrey, bachche khelenge,” is her condescending excuse.

But the Nano’s space meter is a genuine eye-opener. I had a quick peek at it at the AutoExpo last year and had wondered how a tall (pun intended) man like Ratan Tata could comfortably fit onto its jelly bean-like shape. But when I got the chance to actually sit inside one, I couldn’t help but pat myself on the back for being from the country that had produced this miracle.

The Nano is small, but doesn’t look so. Statistics aside, it has more leg space than the Maruti 800. Both the driver and passengers at the back can stretch their limbs comfortable. Maruti 800 drivers of average height face a problem: their knees bump against the dashboard. The Nano let’s you stretch your legs full. For a shorter person, the front seat has to be dragged ahead to reach the clutch! More space at the back!

The car’s tallboy shape ensures that you don’t feel the roof is caving in (as it does in the Maruti).

Only regret: wish Tata would also design our parking lots!