An on the road saga - Part 5!!

We sat anxiously outside the two different RTO offices to get our International driving permit sanctioned. Suddenly my cell phone rang... it was PP ..."success... I got mine done ! what about yours?" 'No",I replied...."Mr.RTO has still not arrived the scene.Looks like we will have to cancel tonight's train ticket." "OMG! I have an important meeting in office tomorrow... I can't spare any more leave.You come later with kids...."said PP. After two day long satyagraha outside the RTO and after filling the empty pockets of various administrative staff I got my much awaited IDP....

With the valuable IDP safely in my purse , we packed our bags once again to leave our land ... for a 3 year long stay in US. My first impression of US roads was admiration and awe.... then came anxiety ....who would not be anxious to see the cars zooming on the free ways ...each time a vehicle passed me I could feel a burner kindling in my tummy. "How can I drive on these roads...."

After much thought I was enlightened ... yes I understood that till now I was never driving....being still alive after driving on our Indian roads was not less than a miracle! After a few weeks in US, necessity forced me to sit behind the steering and drive our FORD Taurus... Yes ., I enjoyed those moments when I drove the car in the early morning to give dance lessons to a group of Indian kids. We started feeling the necessity of having a second vehicle and leased a Chrysler town and country...From then on that became my on the road companion.... I was transformed into a full time chauffeur ... driving the kids to and from school, shopping , trips to library , to my dance classes....

My IDP was expiring in a few weeks .. when a new rule came up by the SOS that only green card holders were issued a drivers permit. I was in a dilemma .... Still with the confidence that very thing will fall into place , I continued with my road trips ....

One day as I was on my way to dropping my kindergartner to school ... one police vehicle suddenly came opposite our vehicle... before I knew, the police car took a U turn and with the lights and the siren blaring started following me.

I remembered what PP told me what to do when a police car follows you, with the lights and siren on,... just take your vehicle to the side and park it safely and wait for the officer to come .. I did exactly that .. trying not to panic ...my toddler started screaming on top of his voice.... "amma .... amma ... police .... ammma ...." I could see the fear in the eyes of my kindergartner, even when he tried to calm down his brother.... Those few minutes of waiting seemed to be like hours...and finally the officer came beside my the driver's window and asked ... " license please" .
.......to be continued.....

An on the road saga ! 4

After a fun filled and adventurous year in Japan, we landed in Taiwan. The on the road adventures here were limited to profuse use of expression and hand gestures to the locals and the taxi drivers in an attempt to make them understand our destination . Even the famous "TESCO" shopping mall had to be translated to "to-hi -ko" with right voice modulation and intonation : which used to be rehearsed again and again ....After staying in Taiwan for a year, we landed in one of the most picturesque and serene places I have stayed... South Africa.

Our stay in South Africa was fun and full of life. We stayed in a huge bungalow overlooking a nature reserve . A well maintained garden with bird baths, lush green trees and fragrant flowers would invite the huge birds, Hadidas, to land in our compound. The outside atmosphere was perfect for a walk ... and we would put on our walking shoes and venture into the lap of nature.... I would always wonder how and why people preferred to either stay in doors or just zoom in their vehicles......for we would be the only ones enjoying our evening walks.....And were often stared at by those in their cars.

It was only later that I came to know that , it was not safe to walk on the roads .... or even drive with out carrying knifes or revolvers....the crime rates in South Africa, even in a "safe" Pretoria neighborhood like ours, was high. From then on we started practicing "awareness"..... Even when we had the privilege of driving a Mazda offered to us from Pp's office.....It was in South Africa that I really drove.... Each moves , each turn, each stop .... each change of gear was practised with utmost awareness.

I was the chauffeur of the family ... as Pp was yet to master the driving skills on the road. I took up yet another job ... of teaching my husband driving. He was a good student flourishing under the tutelage of an able and experienced Guru...The confidence level in him was rising with every class ... that he finally drove on the roads with out my promptings.....He explored the different roads in Pretoria with the help of maps ..... and one day while taking a confident turn with his eyes surveying the map ... he dashed on to a near by lamp post crashing our white Mazda .....

........to be continued

An on the road Saga! : after a hiatus!

It was indeed a herculean task to even sit down in front of the monitor and pour out my thoughts after a long hiatus. There were many reasons for going on a long break.......our sudden relocation to India... setting up a home in here, getting admission for kids, adjustment and settling down problems for them,sudden change of weather and a series of non stop infections in the family.... the list goes on and on. The only reason I have started blogging in spite of the umpteen excuses is that , I really missed out on something these past few months.... I missed my virtual friends who kept popping in now and then to check on me in spite of my long silence......I missed reading my own thoughts on print... which otherwise kept piling in my head pacified by the ever flowing tasks at hand..... I just missed blogging!!!

Now , I am back.....hoping not to be infected by the virus , inertia....:

So , here's my “On the road saga....” part 3....

Chapter 3

After my on the road adventures with tempo trax and maruti Suzuki , I was back to hiring auto's and buses on the Chennai roads....Sitting as a passenger in an auto was no less than an adventure... with the high frequency and high pitched Tamil songs jarring from the driver's seat and the unpredictable potholes on the middle of the roads that takes you roller coaster riding .. without visiting any amusement parks.These adventure rides also had a short life … we flew to Hiroshima , Japan soon.

I was amazed at the discipline and smoothness that prevailed on the Japanese roads. My ears ached to hear the honking sound which pervaded our Indian roads. We did not own a car when we were in Japan. Our main mode of transport was the local train. I used to be picked up and dropped by my friends whenever necessary. One of my student's gave me a bicycle which was my on the road companion from then on. Biking, then became a very relaxing and energy boosting exercise. Pp also got a second hand bicycle and we used to go biking on weekends,... hiking, shopping and just exploring Hiroshima.It was fun, relaxing and romantic. These biking moments left me wishing for Indian roads with bicycle paths ….ensuring safe and environment friendly travel. I have biked to my school and tuition classes as a high school student....but today, with the crazy traffic on our Indian roads … can we really relax at home having waved good bye to our kids on their bicycles?!!!

…......to be continued.

An On the road Saga!

.....CONTINUED FROM HERE


Chapter 2

Thus after many eventful driving lessons and an uneventful driving test, I came home a proud recipient of the Indian Drivers license. I was beaming with confidence, for we had no car in our garage to prove my driving skills. My Dad one day brought home a second hand Maruti Suzuki and handed over its keys to me. He sat beside me on the passenger seat, his head held high. I turned on the engine , my confidence level crumbling. My car galloped imitating the jerks of a horse and suddenly came to a stop. After many trials , my Dad’s raised head came down a bit and he promised me to bring me a better Guru .

Thus started, my second session of driving classes with Pillai Sir. Pillai Sir was very different from my earlier teacher. He was a soft spoken man, who taught me how to drive and instilled full confidence in me. Thus in a few weeks time I was declared the chauffeur of the family. I started enjoying the drives on the Indian roads which provided adventure and variety each day. We stopped hiring drivers even for long drives. Thus the 1985 model Maruti Suzuki became my companion. I started feeling a special kinship with this old friend .

The day came when I had to finally say goodbye to my on the road companion….., it was more than just a four wheeler , it was my first car , which gave me confidence not only in driving but also in myself. On the eve of my wedding when our house was full of guests , my uncle took up a few responsibilities running errands on my old companion….: my old car refused from responding ….whether any one would believe it or not …. My car’s engine did not start even after many trials…. When all the guests departed , I went to my old friend , spoke to it with love (I know it sounds crazy)…..and my old companion responded without any problems….When I write about my old red Maruti ….it does take me back the memory lane…. The many moments I spent with my friend , the many roads I meandered , the many family outings , the long drives with my college friends, drives with my husband……..And I feel a longing to sit on its drivers seat and hold on to its steering…….

To be continued………………………….

An On the road Saga!

Chapter 1

I felt so thrilled , so confidant, so grown up when I held tightly to the steering wheel and the Premier Padmini zoomed ahead. I was sitting on the lap of my favorite uncle, thinking that holding on to the steering wheel was all I needed to learn about driving. I used to wait eagerly for these driving lessons as a child...Brimming with energy and innocence …firmly believing that I have mastered the art of driving. The only hindrance that forbade me from practicing my skills was the lack of a car.

It took the child in me some time in accepting that I had more to learn in order to drive and that I needed to wait till I was eighteen to be issued a driving license. When I was finally eighteen I signed up along with a few friends at a driving school next to our colony. On my first day of driving lesson, Bashir Sir honked in front of our house on a tempo trax. He had collected all his students on his way and thus began my journey of enlightenment on Indian roads. Each day was an experience on the road ….. Our master had his clutch accelerator and break under perfect control on his side of the vehicle that we hardly learnt to drive. The only thing each of us learnt with out fail was the regular route he asked us to take during our driving sessions. Our Bashir Sir had three wives. One legitimate wife and the other two his well known secrets. Each day he would visit his wives and the road that connected his various houses was to be our driving route. His fourth stopover was a toddy shop. And once he was satisfied with the final stop we would head to our respective homes and our Basheer Sir knew not to open his mouth.


Our Basheer Sir was a man of many connections… Though a puny little man he knew what to do when and how…He knew how to satisfy the staff in the regional transportation office and get things done… Thus without learning much to drive and without facing any dire situation I was issued a driver's license.

to be continued................

Hand print on Mother's day!

May 11th was mother’s day. But it was never marked in my calendar till now. Back in India , we did not celebrate a specific day as mother’s or father’s day. But this year it was different for me. My parents were with us and on May 11th I woke to the aromas of my Mom’s kitchen. I was being showered with gifts on mother’s day. Being pampered by my mother and embraced by my kids at the same time was the best gift ever.
My kindergartener , walked from school the previous day with a naughty smile in his eyes and his tiny arms filled with his hand made gifts. Among them was a laminated piece of paper he had made from his school , which especially touched my heart … It had on it his hand print and a few words which said…
“Sometimes You get discouraged because I am so small, And always leave my finger prints on furniture and walls. But everyday I am growing – I’ll be grown up some day. And all these tiny fingerprints will simply fade away. So here ‘s a final handprint just so that you can recall . Exactly how my fingers looked when I was very small.I love you”

First step towards awareness!

We are Humans. We eat, drink, sleep, and work. All our day to day activities spin around these basic needs. These activities take almost all our time, that all of us have almost forgotten that we are not just humans. We are Human Beings.
I can almost hear most of you thinking (so what??? What is the big deal???)
And if you want my answer ….
“It is a big deal…”
You can exist as humans , but to live you have to be Human beings.
So now how can we be human beings?
We do not have to be we already are. But we have almost forgotten to live the being part.

Do I sound like a preacher? Sorry if I do. I just felt like sharing that that I have enjoyed.

Now without much of lecturing or preaching let us do this simple exercise.
Do not be skeptical. Just give it a try.
Close your eyes and shift your attention to your palm and your feet. Do not think, but feel. In a few minutes you will be able to feel your being in your palm and feet, which you can slowly expand to other parts of your body.

This can be done any time ….just squeeze it in between your busy work schedules. Let us learn to be aware …

I would wish to read what you felt like in the comments section…so please go ahead and try…