I started cycling when I was nine and soon after that learnt to ride a bike. I was driven around in vintage cars when I went to university and learnt to drive during that time. I don’t have a fascination for modern cars but vintage ones, as I grew up with such cars in Mysuru. We had the biggest fleet of such cars after the Nizam of Hyderabad. In fact, Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar had a customised Rolls Royce. It even had a canopy that shielded the servants at the back. You will see pictures on the net even today.
Mysore Bentleys are special to me. They were there even during my grandfather’s time. Now of course, you see them in Pune, Mumbai and Maharashtra and other places.
My very first car was a Ford Ikon. My late father preferred BMWs and my mother gifted me the 5-Series. I find this car very sturdy. I was 18 when I got my licence. I, however, don’t drive much, even though I love driving. My longest drive ever was from Mysuru to Goa and vice versa. I have also done long road trips to multiple cities at a go. I have driven from Mysuru to Mangaluru to Udipi to Sharavati to Chitradurga to Bengaluru and back to Mysuru in a matter of a few days. I have even taken off on wheels to Bijapur and Hampi.
BENGALURU - KARNATAKA - 24/03/2018 : The Maharaja of Mysore Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, during an interaction with THE HINDU Metro Plus, in Bengaluru on March 24, 2018. Photo: K. Murali Kumar
I enjoy driving in the jungles or on highways, and avoid cities because of the traffic. In a forest, you get fresh air and are taking in a lot of nature. Even around the Mysuru Palace, where I live, there is so much traffic that just getting out of home is a task sometimes, even on Sundays. It is good that loans are empowering people and households to get cars, but they are clogging up our roads, which are small and unplanned.
My advice to all those who drive or ride in the city is to stay within your lanes. Don’t break the rules but follow driving etiquette, which will make life easier for all. Follow it to the T so that everyone will reach their destination hassle-free. ( As told to Shilpa Sebastian R)
