Day Three saw me trying my best to contain a hideous resentment entwined with a tinge of excitement. I resented the instructor for he has just made me sit and yawn on Day Two. And I was excited for I knew for sure that I will be called upon to abuse the car controls the way novices do when they decide to strangle their fear for the machine and tackle it.
So, by 8:00, as the train struggled along the curve that allowed King's Circle station to perch precariously off its sides, I had resolved to shake my anxiety off at the station itself. And by 8:10, as I traipsed down the stairs, onto the footpath and into the bus, I had asked myself to just not let my nervousness get the better of me.
I got down at Sion circle and walked past the shops that splashed hues of yellow, orange, and white that had the hurry and scurry of establishments winding down for the day. I walked past the ATM - the only one on my way from the bus stop to the driving school. And just as I turned into the compound that walled in the driving school, my excitement invited trepidation to give it company. Needless to say, I began to pant with panic. And more so, since the instructor this time wasn't the same fellow.
"So let's go?" he asked as he gestured towards the car .
"Yes yes," I blurted out and I sprinted to the Hyundai Santro.
I got in and put the seatbelt on and looked at him for directions.
"Handbrake down," is what he ordered. And I began to look for that control. I looked to my right, then to my left, and then thinking it might be somewhere between the brake and clutch, dug between those two controls as well.
"No no!" he sighed, "It's just next to you." And he showed me where.
"Well, now, get the gear into neutral." I tried to, but the damn gear stick grunted and refused to settle in the neutral position.
"What are you doing Garyji?" my instructor asked patiently but not without a tinge of anxiety.
"Changing the gear."
"But how can you if you haven't pressed the clutch?"
"Oh! Like that!" I exclaimed as if I had just solved an Agatha Christie mystery.
"Haan, you must press the clutch and then do that."
So I pressed the clutch, caught hold of the gear stick and wrestled with it yet again.
"Not like that, not like that Garyji!"
"Okay, okay!" I said, my voice determined to show how panicky I was, "show me show me."
"Like this like this," he said, as he hand-held me through the procedure.
"Oh like that haan! I am so confused," I said, my legs already shaking as they usually do when I don't quite know what to say.
"Now start the engine." That luckily did not take an era.
"And now release the clutch ever so slowly so that the car lungs forward."
To my utter surprise, I got that in one go.
"Very good," he blurted out, very much surprised himself. "Now accelerate just a little."
And I did that too without a flaw.
"See? It is easy," he said as he put himself at ease.
"I know," I said quite untruthfully, "I know."
And off we went. I steered like a drunkard and consequently, the car sashayed on the road as if it were auditioning for Amitabh's role in Sharabi.
"Steering control Garyji! Steering control!" My instructor cried after twenty seconds of rash driving.
"Yes yes, I am trying."
"Okay come on, let's show you." And he caught one side of the steering wheel.
"Do not hold it so tight." So I relaxed my grip.
"Do not go straight onto the center of the road." So I steered to the left.
"But not so much to the left. Come to the right." And I went to the extreme right.
"Uff!" my instructor sighed, "No no! Not that far to the right Garyji! You see we keep to the left, but we never must think we own the road!"
Inspite of my nervous self, I giggled at that.
"And please," he continued as he continued to save the car from massive destruction and bullying buses, "Relax! Breathe! Don't drive as if your life is at ransom!"
So I relaxed and I managed to get some control on the car. Of course, I harassed the accelerator no end. That's the easiest control to exploit the first day you drive. A little push and you have speed. A little more and you are all set to be a rash on the road!
"No accelerator! No accelerator please!" So I got my feet off it. "Initially," my instructor explained as we turned into a lane that led to the main road, "We will drive at a low speed. You will first learn to control the car. After that, we will drive at higher speeds."
"Okay, that sounds great!" And in my excitement, my leg leapt onto the accelerator yet again.
"No accelerator! No accelerator please Garyji!"
"Oh sorry sorry!" We were now on the main road itself. It's the one that comes ambling down from King's Circle and forever is choked with traffic. This day though, the cars and buses were hardly forming the traffic jam they were so famous for.
We ambled on then along the main road at a speed that made me cringe. Even people walking around were overtaking us.
"Can I accelerate just once? Please?" I asked, impatiently, "The road seems so empty, no?"
My instructor smiled. Perhaps he knew how mad for speed I was that day. And so he relented. "Okay, fine," he said making an elaborate gesture of resignation. "Else, you'll say: I did not teach you to accelerate!"
"Haha."
I sped right down and towards Sion circle and I took my foot off the control. We came to a halt and I steered towards the footpath.
"Slowly, slowly, and don't hold it that tight." came the instruction yet again.
This time, the car did not swerve as if in stupor. We stopped where we had to.
"Great!" I said, "thank you." I was out of the car and walking away.
"No problem Garyji. See you tomorrow then same time."
"Yes yes." And so saying, I jaywalked down the street and got home.
Day Four will be here in sometime.:)
So, by 8:00, as the train struggled along the curve that allowed King's Circle station to perch precariously off its sides, I had resolved to shake my anxiety off at the station itself. And by 8:10, as I traipsed down the stairs, onto the footpath and into the bus, I had asked myself to just not let my nervousness get the better of me.
I got down at Sion circle and walked past the shops that splashed hues of yellow, orange, and white that had the hurry and scurry of establishments winding down for the day. I walked past the ATM - the only one on my way from the bus stop to the driving school. And just as I turned into the compound that walled in the driving school, my excitement invited trepidation to give it company. Needless to say, I began to pant with panic. And more so, since the instructor this time wasn't the same fellow.
"So let's go?" he asked as he gestured towards the car .
"Yes yes," I blurted out and I sprinted to the Hyundai Santro.
I got in and put the seatbelt on and looked at him for directions.
"Handbrake down," is what he ordered. And I began to look for that control. I looked to my right, then to my left, and then thinking it might be somewhere between the brake and clutch, dug between those two controls as well.
"No no!" he sighed, "It's just next to you." And he showed me where.
"Well, now, get the gear into neutral." I tried to, but the damn gear stick grunted and refused to settle in the neutral position.
"What are you doing Garyji?" my instructor asked patiently but not without a tinge of anxiety.
"Changing the gear."
"But how can you if you haven't pressed the clutch?"
"Oh! Like that!" I exclaimed as if I had just solved an Agatha Christie mystery.
"Haan, you must press the clutch and then do that."
So I pressed the clutch, caught hold of the gear stick and wrestled with it yet again.
"Not like that, not like that Garyji!"
"Okay, okay!" I said, my voice determined to show how panicky I was, "show me show me."
"Like this like this," he said, as he hand-held me through the procedure.
"Oh like that haan! I am so confused," I said, my legs already shaking as they usually do when I don't quite know what to say.
"Now start the engine." That luckily did not take an era.
"And now release the clutch ever so slowly so that the car lungs forward."
To my utter surprise, I got that in one go.
"Very good," he blurted out, very much surprised himself. "Now accelerate just a little."
And I did that too without a flaw.
"See? It is easy," he said as he put himself at ease.
"I know," I said quite untruthfully, "I know."
And off we went. I steered like a drunkard and consequently, the car sashayed on the road as if it were auditioning for Amitabh's role in Sharabi.
"Steering control Garyji! Steering control!" My instructor cried after twenty seconds of rash driving.
"Yes yes, I am trying."
"Okay come on, let's show you." And he caught one side of the steering wheel.
"Do not hold it so tight." So I relaxed my grip.
"Do not go straight onto the center of the road." So I steered to the left.
"But not so much to the left. Come to the right." And I went to the extreme right.
"Uff!" my instructor sighed, "No no! Not that far to the right Garyji! You see we keep to the left, but we never must think we own the road!"
Inspite of my nervous self, I giggled at that.
"And please," he continued as he continued to save the car from massive destruction and bullying buses, "Relax! Breathe! Don't drive as if your life is at ransom!"
So I relaxed and I managed to get some control on the car. Of course, I harassed the accelerator no end. That's the easiest control to exploit the first day you drive. A little push and you have speed. A little more and you are all set to be a rash on the road!
"No accelerator! No accelerator please!" So I got my feet off it. "Initially," my instructor explained as we turned into a lane that led to the main road, "We will drive at a low speed. You will first learn to control the car. After that, we will drive at higher speeds."
"Okay, that sounds great!" And in my excitement, my leg leapt onto the accelerator yet again.
"No accelerator! No accelerator please Garyji!"
"Oh sorry sorry!" We were now on the main road itself. It's the one that comes ambling down from King's Circle and forever is choked with traffic. This day though, the cars and buses were hardly forming the traffic jam they were so famous for.
We ambled on then along the main road at a speed that made me cringe. Even people walking around were overtaking us.
"Can I accelerate just once? Please?" I asked, impatiently, "The road seems so empty, no?"
My instructor smiled. Perhaps he knew how mad for speed I was that day. And so he relented. "Okay, fine," he said making an elaborate gesture of resignation. "Else, you'll say: I did not teach you to accelerate!"
"Haha."
I sped right down and towards Sion circle and I took my foot off the control. We came to a halt and I steered towards the footpath.
"Slowly, slowly, and don't hold it that tight." came the instruction yet again.
This time, the car did not swerve as if in stupor. We stopped where we had to.
"Great!" I said, "thank you." I was out of the car and walking away.
"No problem Garyji. See you tomorrow then same time."
"Yes yes." And so saying, I jaywalked down the street and got home.
Day Four will be here in sometime.:)
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