Going solo

I bought a second hand car in May this year and I am proud to say that I own a car now ;)

It's a blue wagon R, my favorite color and it is pretty ok for a beginner like me. I took the car with my dad sitting beside me to a friend's place on one afternoon and my dad was more scared than I was of the traffic. His hand was on the hand brake all the time and he did not spare any chance to pull it in the middle of the road if he thought I was banging onto someone. I told him to relax and that I was in full control and will drive carefully. He didn't seem convinced, a father's heart you see!


He urged me to take help of a professional driver and practice driving around. I went on one such session when he was around, but did not find it convincing enough to go for further sessions. I thought the driver will no doubt guide me and tell me what to do and what not to do while I am on the wheel, but ultimately it is me who has to drive in any given circumstances, so why not slowly learn on my own and at my own pace?

I am not a dare devil when it comes to any adventure like driving, swimming, etc. I tend to be little shy and held-back in these matters. But suddenly that day, don't know how I just got up, took the keys and drove off to my friend, Snehal, who stays closeby, but reaching her house is one game of going left and right and left and right and that too in narrow lanes. I said to myself, let's see what happens. Let's do this and I went safely and slowly and I actually enjoyed the thrill of driving alone amidst the honking and screeching and braking of vehicles. On my way back, there was heavy traffic at one spot. It was actually a big road, but on one side, all the huge BMTC buses were standing and the traffic was not able to move smoothly. I had lost my confidence and strength on seeing a large pool of vehicles standing in front of my car. But I quickly gathered myself and said, chalo, ye bhi kar lenge. Slowly and steadily, adjusting between clutch and brake, I pulled myself and my car out of that pool of cars and I felt elated. Crossing that patch successfully boosted my confidence and my self-belief. I came back home with a feeling of winning a battle or something.

That moment when I got up and just drove on that particular day was the changing moment. The fear, the apprehension, low self-belief (when it came to driving) all vanished in that one single trip when I decided to go. After that trip, I went to 3-4 places alone, without fearing and without anyone sitting and guiding me by my side. Once my 4 year old son sat next to me and once, my good friend, John came with me. They both didn't complain. They had no scope, I guess ;) I very well know that every single trip that I make in my car is going to be a new lesson. I perhaps won't be an expert driver like my dad or my husband or my friend in days, months or even years, but important is that I have made an attempt to make a change in my life by getting mobile in my car and that attempt counts. Slowly and steadily, making mistakes, learning different things of driving and most importantly enjoying it every bit is what matters.

I thank my mother-in-law and brother-in-law for encouraging me to buy a car and also my parents and husband who constantly see to it that there is no gap in driving. And my sonny dear is my greatest critic. I want to get better and the best just for him.