Occasionally, passion gets the best of practicality and reason. A man’s search for a one-of-a-kind self has everyone talking, not about the scooter he purchased, but about what he added to it. This tale is making headlines and generating controversy on social media for all the right—and odd—reasons.
₹80,000 Scooter, ₹14 Lakh Number Plate
Sanju Kumar, from Solan in Himachal Pradesh, has recently made headlines for buying a ₹14 lakh VIP number plate for his new Honda Activa. The scooter itself can cost between ₹80,000 and ₹1 lakh. The move surprised people as the cost of the number plate was almost 14 times the cost of the scooter.
Though owners of luxury cars sometimes spend lakhs on swanky registration numbers, this one was different since the car was nothing more than a regular commuter scooter and not a luxury car. For Kumar, however, it was not about the car; it was about being noticed.
What Makes This Number So Special?
The VIP number plate involved—HP21C-0001—wasn’t arbitrarily allotted. Kumar had won it in an online auction conducted by the Himachal Pradesh Transport Department. As per PTI, his last bid of ₹14 lakh outpaced the second-highest bid by ₹50,000. The number is very much sought after and usually saved for luxury vehicles or celebrities.
But Kumar had other ideas. He thought that the worth of such a number is not in the car it is affixed to, but in the pride and identity it confers.
Online Bidding War for One Number
Kumar was not the sole one interested in this number. The auction turned into a two-contender fight, with the runner-up bidder bringing ₹13.5 lakh to the table. Kumar overcame it though by bidding an additional ₹50,000 to win the plate. The auction was conducted on the official website of the Himachal Pradesh Transport Department and ended up with Kumar owning the most expensive two-wheeler registration in the state.
A Father’s Dream, A Son’s Support
His son, Dinesh Kumar, told that the decision was not sudden. His father had always wished for a distinctive registration number. It wasn’t a matter of money, but the joy of owning something special. The family supported his decision, labeling it a realisation of a long desire and not extravagance.
Public Reactions and Social Media Buzz
The news traveled fast, prompting a mixed bag of reactions on social media. While some were applauding the man for his enthusiasm and originality, others described it as a waste of money. One even commented, “He’s gone mad.” But to Sanjeev Kumar, the response was easy: “There’s no price tag on passion. When you want something extraordinary, you don’t count the cost.”