I belong to that stupid crowd (I don’t know if I am alone here or
if there really is any crowd ) that is pretty contend in life being a passenger
and stays away from driving.
I am usually awestruck when I see people have great control
over the vehicle and swish past like a pro. Its like I have two left feet or at
times none, can never control my moves on land or in a vehicle. Driving is like
magic to me.
Beyond the unusual craziness over bikers and pilots, I
respect and admire the drivers of all public transport. Every time I use the
public transport, which I do often, I am lost at the window and secondly at the
drivers. They carry scores of people every day, safely. I often wonder, what
would happen if they got distracted for a second. They just don’t drive for themselves;
it’s a responsibility.
Salutes and bows to every alert pilot that saved hundreds on
board, the bus driver who jammed the bus in a near by tree on realizing the
failing brakes, just killing himself, these people who stay cool and alert even
during calamities and hijacks. To every captain, pilot, cab man and drivers who
reach a destination just by driving, not laying back to enjoy the view.
Once in an auto, the driver was cribbing about me refusing
to pay above the usual fare, and me arguing reasonably that there is a hike in
the auto fare and petrol fortnightly but I get a bonus only once a year. Then
out of the blue he asked me about my qualification and why I didn’t manage to
get employed in IT sector which paid returns. I told him I am an architect.
The man bowled me over saying he built his own house, brick
by brick all by himself and hadn’t cleared even his SSLC exams two decades ago
and challenged me if I could. To smile was all I could do. He told he has read
all religious scriptures and was trying to understand what was religion and why
all this fight. To fuel my silence, he claimed he was Lord Krishna, the charioteer,
who was instrumental in guiding this travel of common man. “Enna Madam,
Krishnanum driver dhane??!!, Appo naanum Krishnan dhane?!! Naan dhan kalki
avadharamo??!!”
Now even my smile had vanished, I felt so small in the
auto.Like they say, nothing beats a
really good drive…
There’s a hundred-thousand streets in this city. You don’t
need to know the route. You give me a time and place; I give you a five minute
window.-driver
