The Nano could be the new Nokia this Puja.

If the pre-booking buzz about the world’s cheapest car, unveiled on Thursday, is anything to go by, parents in Calcutta will have their hands full this festive season.

“Just like parents give their children mobile phones or separate rooms, they could buy them this car. The primary thought is that it is not costly,” says sociologist Prasanta Roy.

Not costly, yet trendy, add parents of the GenX.

“Last Diwali, I bought my son a fancy cellphone. This time, on his 18th birthday in November, I will gift him a Tata Nano. It’s easy on the pocket and also easy on the eye,” says Anil Sharma, a 42-year-old businessman on Ballygunge Circular Road.

The likes of Sushmita Sarkar, 23, will no longer have to wait for their parents to buy them their first car.

“I’ve been working for a year and waiting for the Rs 1 lakh car to be launched. Now, I can gift myself a small, smart, fuel-efficient car — okay, maybe with a little help from my dad,” she smiles.

If for children old enough to get a driving licence the Nano would be gift number one, wives waiting for a second car in the garage have started hounding their husbands for a Tata Nano.

“For two years, my husband has been promising to buy me a car, but then backing out, saying it’s beyond our budget. Now, thanks to Ratan Tata, he has no escape route. This Puja, I will surely drive my own Nano,” says Antara Majumdar, 35, a schoolteacher.

The Nano looks to be a hit already, with the growing count of DINK (double income no kid) couples in Calcutta. Subroto Sen, an executive with a private bank, is not giving his wife the chance to nag. “I am planning to buy two Nanos, one for my wife and one for myself, as we have different office timings.”

According to sociologists, the Nano should appeal to almost all segments of consumers. “Those who have never been able to afford a car will now be able to buy one and those who are driving high-end cars will eye it as a second or even a third car,” says sociologist Abhijit Mitra.

“The low cost is obviously the most positive point as it will provide upward social mobility. The democratisation of prices will ensure that the car, which has always been a status symbol, will be accessible to many more,” he adds.

Parents gifting children, husbands gifting wives, entrepreneurs gifting employees — Nano could well run the cellphone close as a gift item.

“We will be able to gift our senior officials a Nano as incentive,” feels Richa Daga, who runs a jewellery design institute in town.

Impulse buyers apart, Tata Nano is sure to run into a host of “wait-and-watch” consumers. “Some prospective buyers will surely be suspicious of a car that comes for such a low price. What has it compromised on, will be the first thought. So I would rather wait to see the on-road performance before taking the plunge,” cautions sociologist Roy.

And for yet another consumer profile, the Nano is definitely not the car to be seen in. “After the hype dies down, driving a Nano would mean advertising the fact that you can’t afford a better car. I don’t want to be the laughing stock of my friends,” claims Smita Mohanka, 28.