Posts
Tiny Me: C for Car! (Yes, I only knew that much about a Car when I was a Kid)
Teen Me: Someday, I want a car of my own(Like the Red one in the picture)!
Earning Me: I need to start taking a driving lesson soon!
Car Owner Me: Why everyone conspires against me on road? Walking is much better!
I have fantasized about driving a car for a long time. No selective Model or a style. It was just the idea of driving a car on my own. When I was growing up in a small town in India, a car was a luxury. In those inspirational speech sessions, my mom used to say "If you study well now, someday you will have a car of your own". Or, if I scored less on some exam, the idea was still the same, just in a different tone "You will never get to drive a car of your own if you continue to score like this." So yeah, a car was always the reward I was looking forward to.
I planned to take my first driving lesson, a few months before my marriage from "Jai Maruthi Driving School", in Bangalore India.I was thrilled with the notion. Before my first class, I practiced holding my imaginary steering wheel tight in my hands and whirl it with full force. I did not have a car at that time. On my first class, my instructor arrived in a white Maruti Alto. He asked me to get in the Driver seat and my first reaction was "Are you Serious?" It struck me for the first time, I would be responsible for the car, my driving instructor, all the people on road and certainly ME. I was horrified! My palm turned red and sweaty. Nervously, I struggled with the seatbelt and finally, my instructor intervened.
After settling down, my instructor's first words were "Let's learn ABC of Driving - A for Accelerator, B for Brakes and C for Clutch. That's all you need to remember about driving." That's all? The next 30 minutes was a battle to decide where to put my feet strategically to handle that A,B and C. I don't understand how people are okay with this basic flaw of a car design! How 2 feet can take care of 3 things at a time? Or, maybe people like me were not comfortable with the Idea and that's why the concept of auto-gear popped in? Anyway, on my first few days of driving how I wished I was an Octopus!
On moving to the US, the challenges were different. I had to unlearn what I had learned. But the rules and the auto gear were blessings for me. Finally, I got my driving license. Well, that's a different story to tell.Now, I am eligible to drive alone on road. It was a long and terrifying journey. Still, I am scared of highways. I don't let my steering wheel go. I never eat or drink or sneeze while driving. However, I can ride a car. If you are scared to drive, you are not alone my friend! But "don't let the fear of what could happen to make nothing happen!" Some roads are beautiful and some journeys are rewarding.Sit behind the steering wheel and you will feel a fear.Don't let that fear to be the driving force in your life. Learn the A-B-Cs of driving and keep riding your dream. Then finally, a day will come when you will notice that anyone driving slower than you is an Idiot and anyone going faster than you is a Maniac! Live for that Day!
Teen Me: Someday, I want a car of my own(Like the Red one in the picture)!
Earning Me: I need to start taking a driving lesson soon!
Car Owner Me: Why everyone conspires against me on road? Walking is much better!
I planned to take my first driving lesson, a few months before my marriage from "Jai Maruthi Driving School", in Bangalore India.I was thrilled with the notion. Before my first class, I practiced holding my imaginary steering wheel tight in my hands and whirl it with full force. I did not have a car at that time. On my first class, my instructor arrived in a white Maruti Alto. He asked me to get in the Driver seat and my first reaction was "Are you Serious?" It struck me for the first time, I would be responsible for the car, my driving instructor, all the people on road and certainly ME. I was horrified! My palm turned red and sweaty. Nervously, I struggled with the seatbelt and finally, my instructor intervened.
After settling down, my instructor's first words were "Let's learn ABC of Driving - A for Accelerator, B for Brakes and C for Clutch. That's all you need to remember about driving." That's all? The next 30 minutes was a battle to decide where to put my feet strategically to handle that A,B and C. I don't understand how people are okay with this basic flaw of a car design! How 2 feet can take care of 3 things at a time? Or, maybe people like me were not comfortable with the Idea and that's why the concept of auto-gear popped in? Anyway, on my first few days of driving how I wished I was an Octopus!
Those days were challenging! The first difficulty was to start the car. The next was to keep the car moving and to avoid stopping in the middle of the road. I had always believed that constantly twirling the steering wheel is the key to driving. But when I actually got a steering wheel and demonstrated my practiced skill, my car started moving zigzag. My instructor from the passenger seat jumped in to hold my wheel steady and shouted on top of his voice "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I was scared and I panicked. I removed immediate my hands and feet from the car. And yes, it stopped abruptly in the middle of the road. People were honking and shouting all around me. I felt like opening the car door and run away from there. But again, my instructor was constantly nagging "Start the car!" I was frozen at that spot.The only thought that was flashing in my mind was "I am not going to drive again!". It was a nightmare. Slowly, the traffic passed me, people left and I started the car and came back home.
In the next few days, the car stopped many times in the middle of a busy road. But I learned to ignore my surroundings and again start the car. There are a few benefits to learn driving in India. The driving school cars, hold a big banner on the top of the car displaying someone is learning. So, usually, the other people on road get cautious. Also, the instructors have a control on Clutch and Brakes on their own feet and they pretty much control the car. So yeah, I too learned "Driving" in a few weeks. Being certain that I can drive, I decided to get my driving license a few months later. In the meantime, I got married and got busy in life. Then one day, I got a call from "Jai Maruthi Driving School" that I need to appear for my Driving Test before my leaner's license expires. So there was I, ready to get my Driving License without touching the car for 4-5 months. Was that my confidence in my driving skills? Not at all! It was my full faith in India's ill-famed corruption. When my turn came, the exam officer insisted to sit in the front seat. That meant, my driving instructor could not control the Clutch and Brake. Reluctantly, I got inside the car and started it after a few tries. It started moving slowly. I drove a few feet down the road and then the Officer instructed to reverse and park by the side of the curb. I put the reverse gear on and rode directly on top of the curb and parked it nicely there. My instructor who was sitting silently on the back by this whole time started screaming to stop the car. The Officer who was sitting in the passenger seat ran away even before the car stopped. Well, I was proved wrong about the corruption in India and I was denied driving alone on road.
After that incident, I forgot about my dream of driving. We got a car. but, I preferred my passenger seat.I had more important things to do. I had to take photos. I had to correct my husband's faults during driving. Ohh yes, I was totally occupied.
After a year or two, once again that driving bug started bothering me. I again enrolled myself in another driving school. After 3 or 4 classes I came to know about my pregnancy and I discontinued. Was there any reason for that? Absolutely not! It was just another excuse. After my daughter was born, we decided to move to States and I knew how difficult it is to survive in the US without driving. That's why I decided to take a class a third time. This time, I managed to convince my friend to accompany me and we decided to learn together. We took the class at the same time in two different cars. We waved at each other excitedly on the road when we met as if we were meeting after years. Both of us knew all the rules of driving. It's just that we did not have the confidence to hit the road. This time, I completed my lesson and somehow managed to get my first driving license. My friend already had one.
On moving to the US, the challenges were different. I had to unlearn what I had learned. But the rules and the auto gear were blessings for me. Finally, I got my driving license. Well, that's a different story to tell.Now, I am eligible to drive alone on road. It was a long and terrifying journey. Still, I am scared of highways. I don't let my steering wheel go. I never eat or drink or sneeze while driving. However, I can ride a car. If you are scared to drive, you are not alone my friend! But "don't let the fear of what could happen to make nothing happen!" Some roads are beautiful and some journeys are rewarding.Sit behind the steering wheel and you will feel a fear.Don't let that fear to be the driving force in your life. Learn the A-B-Cs of driving and keep riding your dream. Then finally, a day will come when you will notice that anyone driving slower than you is an Idiot and anyone going faster than you is a Maniac! Live for that Day!
