Mission Accomplished...

Today I would say is a major milestone in my life…Yes !!!! have started driving our car….for those of you who think “Che ivlo thana”….i would say that this sense of accomplishment and pride can be felt and justified only by people like me who would put on their jogging shoes and run on hearing the word ‘driving’….

Am sure everybody fears for something or the other in their life and one thing I was dreadfully frightened from my young age was driving…It all started at a very young age when I was around 6 or 7 years old…My father had bought a new BSA SLR cycle after repeated requests from my brother…but much to the annoyance of my brother, he bought a ladies cycle so that both of us could use it…..but that never happened in my life…

It was because of a dream I had that I was driving this cycle and the PTC bus 7B (this is the slowest bus on earth in our route J) hitting me from behind…from that day onwards enakku cycle endral bayam, car endral bayam, bus endral  bayam…..even after many attempts I was not able to get rid of this fear…

As years passed by  the cycle transformed into a hero puch (sort of TVS 50) and then to a bike -  all for my brother’s sake and my dad having a little nappasai that I would somehow start driving….but nothing changed….then after some years we got our first car and I said to myself…'I am scared only of driving a two wheeler as I will be hurt if I fall but I am sure I will be able to drive a car as I will only be inside and so no chances of falling'…..

So very enthusiastically enrolled myself into a car driving school and completed the driving session, went for the license test and came out in flying colours…..ithuku onnum koraichal illa…and one fine Sunday morning thought of giving it a try and with my brother next to my side & my dad behind took out the car…

But to my horror again, got stuck near the Lucas signal in a Slope and the same 7B behind me…..etho sathi  velai nadakutho…..the car started rolling back and stopped after hitting the bus from behind….the driver of the bus was honking so badly and I was struggling to move the car forward or rather start it first…..finally managed to start the car and  was pressing the accelerator so hard that it was making a big sound but oops I was not releasing the clutch…..

I could hear my brother giving instructions brake adi… brake adi to stop the car going back further…and my father giving instructions “accelerator kudu accelerator kudu” but nothing went into my head....enna kodumai sir  ithu….i was doing all the opposite things…..u can imagine the confusion and finally I had to swap places  and my brother had to come to the driver seat and from there we went disssssssh out of sight of all the curious people on the road…that was the swaha of my driving and I never ever tried it thereafter until my marriage….

Having known that I consider this as a drawback from my side, my hubby also tried to help me out with this fear but nothing worked….i was still the same thenali with bayam bayam bayam…..i progressed into the next stage…..i started getting paranoid to travel in car as a passenger and would close my eyes when a bus or lorry passed by…. aha enna oru improvement…..and was blamed that I was getting old….

Now comes the entry of Geetha my beloved friend…both of us were in the same boat as far as this driving was concerned….car than otta mudiala boat avathu ottalam… hee..hee..…she lives in our opposite flat and we are one extended family….she had come across a car trainer who would teach driving in our own car….immediately I said yes….and from thereon started my car ottum padalam…..

The trainer was Murugan Master…..he came to our house and was speaking for nearly an hour, giving us both tons of confidence that we will be able to drive within a month….Day 1 was really thrilling for me……Master’s main instruction was “neengala  onnum pannathinga..…naa solratha mattum pannunga”……and i blindly followed whatever he said…

After five or six classes of training I could see a lot of confidence built…I was trying to drive a car in whatever I was doing…pressing the clutch and applying the brake at my office desk….putting the right indicator and rotating the steering while cooking….changing the gear while watching tv…..while on the way to office with my hubby I was  talking only about driving, was nagging my colleague who is sitting next to me for tips on driving…ithu than soru thanni illama kathukaratha….ooof it was really hectic…but I was enjoying it…..

And slowly I could see that my driving skill has improved and whenever I was able to do a right task without Master’s instruction like changing the gear on slowing down etc….he would appreciate me saying avlo than madam….supera ottringa….he also made me drive in 90 kms  speed in the red hills highway……..after which I was asking myself (in NKPK* style)  ennachu…accelerator press pannen….car 90 la pocha…ok ok…kanava irukum….konja nerathula seri ayidum……but no it was real !!

And today I had been to Parrys (Paris illa namma broadway) driving my car with master…..Hurrrrray….. and I could see that I have really done a good job…I really deserve a pat on my back as after all the adventure I was finally able to make it……still a long way to go but the first stone has been turned…..

My next trip is to Adyar and i am planning to take my dad along or anyone who dares...hahaha...have till now kept it as a secret from my parents as i wanted to drive to their home and give them a surprise....

Thanks to God for blessing me with this, Murugan Master for teaching me and Gopi who came with me for all my classes and tolerated all my lectures on driving....thanks to geetha,sibi,sunil and rajaram (my office friends) for patiently listening to my driving experiences...thanks to geetha my neighbour who gave me lots of confidence.....ithellam eppadi thaana varuthu la……ha ha ha..

*Naduvula konjam pakatha kanom