If you watch those motoring shows broadcasted in the US or UK, you might be inclined to think as to why we don’t have those RV’s or Towing vans in India. There are a lot of reasons for that and despite their widespread presence in the western countries, the RV was never really considered as a necessity for the Indian markets, despite a few being popular with Bollywood stars and a few enthusiastic locals. There is a lot that can be attributed to the failure of the RV and here are a few reasons why:
- Weather: Since India falls very nearly to the equator, it is hot and humid in most parts of the country. The RV in its earlier iterations weren’t really made to have sophisticated air conditioning and home like comfort, a feature which we Indians like to have very much and that makes the RV a strict NO-GO in many parts of the country.
- Cratering to the Niche: The RV in India is only of any interest to a very niche crowd. This might include movie stars who need a portable personal space in the movie sets or to a few enthusiasts who like to take their home with them and go on that wanderlust journey across the country. The point being that it was a vehicle of little interest to a majority of the Indians because of its limited applications.
- No organised camp sites: Although this isn’t strictly true as of today as India has progressed quite a bit in the recent years, but the fact remains that there is still a substantial lack of organised camp sites where the RV could be practical. Making matters worse, people here have little to no respect for natural scenery and if such camp sites are even organised, it’ll turn into a litter infested hell in no time.
- Expensive: The camper van in India is a big investment. Big enough that most Indian’s simply cannot afford the luxury to own one. Most people here simply lack necessary income and amenities to get into the camper van bandwagon. And those with a lot of cash prefer to camp abroad, rather than buy a motorhome.
- Storage Issues: Since RV’s or camper vans are big vehicles in general, it is often a chore to store them someplace. This is especially true in the cities and metropolitan areas where most of the wealthy individuals live. Due to our abysmally high population, the population density causes issues when storage of such personal vehicles comes into play.
- Acquiring permits is difficult: Because of the size of the vehicle and the possible criminal obscurity that it presents to law enforcements, obtaining permits to operate such vehicles is actually quite difficult. In many cases through background checks are made before allowing any permit and in worst case scenarios, permits are denied altogether in many states of the country.
The camper van then, isn’t very popular in India, but it isn’t all bad news as it has slowly started gaining acceptance among individuals who love to tour the country as parts of start-up bands or fellow adventurers who are seeking a thrill in their short lives but don’t want to leave home.