you *must* read it like the way Tom Hanks said in Cast Away while he made FIRE.
"look what I have created ....I ve made fire... I ...have ....made fire".
what is in driving our own car ourselves ..alone !!! may be nothing for you. But for me it is somewhat similar to above expression.
I had started driving while I was about to join Engg. college !!!! after 9 years I am driving alone !!!! "what happened ?" you might have asked !!!. My father had a car ; 'Ambassador Classic'; black in color. KLC 2479. if you are trying to learn shooting ..you must start aiming at thookanan kuruvi (the Weaver Birds). start with the toughest one ;-) This big car is a bit heavy for a lean teenager, don't you think so. But I thought about my school-classmate, Arun, who drove a brand ambassador right from his 13.
"Father, Don't you think that I am enough old to learn driving ?"
"Is it, do you think so ?"
"yes I am. Look ..Arun is driving since we were in 8th. and I am 18 now".
"ok as you wish !!! "
I was so happy ..running back to room to take the Key.
"Did you see that bucket and the cloth ?"
"yes I do"
"Good !!! bring some water near to car"
"Is that water necessary to learn driving...oh I got ... I had seen that you are filling water after open the bonnet.. but why cloth"
"yeah you got it son. but we had enough water to cool down the engine."
"Then !!!" I exclaimed.
"Those people who want to learn driving must clean the car first !!!!", he made his stance clear
"What ????... if I didn't clean.. then... "
"...you will not touch this car in your life"
I ...just ...shocked. its a determined voice.
"I'll clean only top and side; never wheels "
"Fine. but next day wheels only "- He defined.
---
Finally he showed how that car is working and all(luckly he didn't went to polytechnic; Thalayina mantram). First day he didn't even allowed me to start the car. Just gear changing to all positions !!! A couple of time I forgot to apply clutch; and the punishment was on the fly.
Next day, I had started my Car !!! (of course only after cleaning the wheel :-) , changed the gear to first. slowly applied the accelerator. chuck...chuck...chuck !!! three jumps like a horse and engine off !!! :-))
First assignment was is just to go straight forward and reverse back. After he himself comfortable with my ability to go and forth, he picked me to a road near to pookunnam with fields in both sides.
And he set a few rules too
Rule one : if any child come across, take your leg off from the accelerator and make a slight horn. Either they will give you side or they stay where they are !!!
Rule two :if you see some ladies around the road, just stop the car and 'shutdown'; don't make any noices.
"why ?"
"otherwise either they jump right infornt of you, or jump into the field".Eventhough he exaggerated things, I have a few experiences that shows children are better than women in the road.
Training was progressed pretty comfortable for three month until I had an injury on the collar bone(its broken while playing cricket). Doctor prescribed one month bed rest and hence stopped the driving. anyway I came to know that there is a bone called 'collar bone' in the shoulder.
Then I joined the Engg. college and forgot about driving at all.
And once I thought about driving again, it was too late !!! Father already decided to give retirement to the our 30 years old 'dude'. "muppathu kollam njangale ulakam chutticha... oru dozen unclemareyenkilum driving padipicha ...."(read it like the way Jagathi said in mazha peyunnu madalam kottunnu)
After 5 years from the first attempt to drive, I had taken the driving license for the four wheeler (and the two wheeler as well). at the time we owned no car( no bike as well). even though I got driving license, my father didn't allowed me to drive a car(uncle's car), eventhough they are ok. In their words this is how somebody is learning to drive. but my father alone seems to unaware about it. He has his own principles and policies.
A month back, father had decided to purchase a car. I had suggest Hyundai Santro. IHMO it is very simple car and easy to drive too. If he buy a long car, I am sure he will not give it to me for a drive. I know I might need to fight. Finally the same thing happened. As per my Aliyan's (Husband of my cousin) , he is supposed to be good in Automobiles, My father went for a Ford Ikon.
As expected, he didn't allowed me to drive it alone. He doesn't want to see some scratches in a newly bought car. I too have some fear of scratches. (Appane paranjittu enthu karyam, Aadhyam njan nannavanam ;-) wherever I go he follows just like hutch network (More precisely Gaadha Jam in Vandanam:-)) He was ready to spent all of his time to ensure no scratches.
The most irritating to me was his running commentary to give horn, apply brake for each and evrey corner. most of the time I am going to do all these :-( I got a few days in Christmas holidays to prove my driving skils. he seemed not satisfied. Next weekend I again went to home for out great Aranattukara St.Thomas church palli perunnal(enna vyajena ) Thought to drive car alone this time. No way !!! he was still with me. Again I have to prove that I applying horn in all turning; breakes every 'necessary' movements. But time up; time to come back while I almost made an impression that I can handle situations. Next time went to home town for Ranjit's Marriage. Got a few time to drive !!! Still I have to start building his confidence from ONE.
This Sunday, I have driven my car. Alone... to my aunt's home. Just 2KM. a sample drive to prove myself. then gave a lift to Bijoy to his home . A 12 KM drive. Then went to a marriage function 36KM. Even though my father was there along with me on last occasion, he didn't said a word eventhough I made a few mistakes.
Do you think that he changed his mind on this Sunday ;-) I had told that if he didn't allow me to drive alone, I will not drive this dream machine anymore :-) Simple isn't it ?
Do you think that he was frightenend of my words. !!! Never.
it might be because he thought like "enthenkilum chaiyyu"
or even... might be... he had built confidence on me :-?
Category : Favourite
Posted by
yetanother.softwarejunk
4 comments:
Yet I owe to him for his patience, effort put on me to teach how to drive.
Dude, I don't know what is common with fathers, even my father is ditto. But a great driver he is , I too owe him to my skills. Perhaps only one thing we agree is on speed;). We both like to drive at good speed. And offlate I have started taking it out alone, so he has enough confidence on me :)
All the best dude. I think to understand a father's point of view one needs to be in his shoes - teaching one's own son his own car. Frankly, whenever I sit on my bike's pillion and someone else drive I too have heart-burns ;)
Yo 'sup nigga .. (pedikkandaa .. enikkum ariyilla what that means - veruthe adikkunathaa .. :) ). Neways ninde car driving experience i can relate to. We had an ambassador (88 model) at home too - that too the one with the hand gear (which by the way is what i still like better than floor gear). In fact to change to high beam on that car you needed to use your feet 'cause it was close to the accelerator. So in effect if you were going at 50 Miles Per Hour and realized that you needed to hit the high beam you would take your leg off the accelerator and hit the high beam knob with your right foot and then come back to the accelerator - so you can imagine the deceleration and the ensuing acceleration caused by that. But all the same that was fun. And just like uncle dad was a task master himself too. And i guess i was less nervous of the road as i was of him .. :). But then in the end i owe it to him for teaching me the basics and like you mentioned "Patience".
Okay, it is great experience to learn from seasoned driver. Especially if he is your father ;-).
Either he will have full confidence over ur driving (that u will go and pound on any road side waste box or petty shop ;-) ) else he has no confidence ( that u will never keep a single lane and keep wavering the directions when u drive))
Either case, son and father will definitely take liberties during the lessons, lest forget the machine.
I had an opportunity to learn from girl friend... ;-). I mean it. it was coz i started learning after i finished my Engineering. (During college, it was Kinetic Honda, the cute scooty girls loved to squat on during my days!!!).
Though she was my girl friend, we had excellent rapport built over years (sorry for stressing on obvious facts!!). She was an amazing driver who started driving her dad's Amby (mark-3) since she was 10 years old. She had a driving experience of 12 years when she led me to the steering wheel. And most amazing thing. no open ground or paddy fields. it was lalbagh road and residency road, that I first held the wheel while she was my navigator.. I still shiver thinking of those classes (not because it was chilly evenings of Bangalore alone!!) the amazing guts that she processed drove something strange inside my heart... something like there is no room to commit mistake.( I felt like I am on a air raid mission and i m piloting a un tested stealth bomber ! :-)) By the by the car was Fiat 96 model with foot gear. Infact only fiat with a foot gear. I believe she brought a good driver out of me. Busiest lanes of Bangalore are tougher to ride than murky country roads is what learnt when i happen to ride a long journey to davangere.
so that was my fun filled, romantic, yet very adventurous experience of learning to drive. ( she taught me to balance the car on break and accelerator with a leg while placing the other on clutch, while halting on a slope and u have some gr8 looking cars right behind you !!
it was most nervous time and i managed to race the engine louder few times before shifting force slowly to accelerator with one end of foot and at the same time releasing the other end from brake, while releasing the clutch pedal in perfect sync with the right foot activity. Wow!! That was amazing. later heard, that many balance on just accelerator and clutch and not this way... but I still do the same... only difference is that, I do it v simple and there is no girl friend beside me to see the "perfect sync " of foot anymore !!..
--Srinivas K Menon.
Post a Comment