Calcutta, Oct. 21: The inspiration had come two months ago while on his trip to Jakarta. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had just completed a visit to the Salim Group’s motorcycle factory on the outskirts of the city and was mulling over the Indonesian company setting up a similar plant in Howrah, when he came across a giant painting of a scene from the Mahabharat.

“It was Krishna driving a chariot of eight horses carrying Arjun on it. It was a beautiful painting,” recalled Bhattacharjee. At that instant, it struck him that the name of the motorcycle that would roll out of the Uluberia factory could be Arjun.

“It is a good name,” Bhattacharjee said today. “It is bound to be successful. It also strikes a chord between India and Indonesia because the Ramayan and Mahabharat are their main epics.”

Today, the chief minister said the prospects for Arjun seem bright in Bengal, where, according to him, the demand for two-wheelers is rising.

On the day his government handed over the lease agreement to Benny Santoso for the factory at Uluberia, Bhattacharjee said the two-wheeler manufacturer is bound to do well in Bengal as the state has lately become a flourishing market for motorcycles. “The demand is going up in Bengal, especially in the districts. The retail market for two-wheelers was the biggest in Bengal last year,” Bhattacharjee said at Writers’ Buildings.

The Salim Group will form Mahabharat Motorcycle Manufacturing Company, which will sell its products under the brand name Arjun.

Bhattacharjee has long been gunning for investment in this sector. “The east is one of the biggest markets for two-wheelers, but there are no manufacturers here,” he repeatedly lamented earlier. The only presence in the automobile sector here has been Hindustan Motors, which makes Ambassador cars.

Mahabharat will also be the first foreign direct investment (FDI) in the automobile sector in the eastern region.

Santoso’s company is collaborating with Chinese manufacturer Quinchin for some accessories and other manufacturers for spares.

The construction of the plant will begin in January 2006 and motorcycles will roll out in 18 months.

The two-wheelers will be targeted at the domestic market, Bhattacharjee said. More than 23 lakh two-wheelers now ply in the state.