Ever since I was five, I dreamt of driving a car. I once sat on my father’s lap as the vehicle gradually moved and hit the house opposite ours. That was my first blunder.
As I grew, I realised I was comfortable handling the steering.
My father later bought another car and gave me his old one, a Premier 118. Excited, I got in, started the ignition, hit the accelerator and screamed at my father, ‘Your car is not moving!’ and he yelled right back, ‘You need to put it into gear first’.
That car is special, as I drove my wife around in it after we were married, and even took her to the hospital for our baby’s delivery in that. I have so many good memories associated with that vehicle. Later, I fitted it with a gas cylinder too.
After my son was born, I saw a car with a sunroof — the Opel Astra. When I went for a test drive, it was raining; I could see it fall on the roof and fell in love with it and bought it. I gave my old car to my brother, Avinash.
But I soon realised that the Opel Astra was difficult to maintain. I felt it was like a white elephant, giving just six to seven km mileage. Besides that, it was an amazing car with brilliant features.
Then came the i10 and now the Honda City. However, my dream is to have the classic Benz — the ‘70s model. Luckily, I have had no accidents. I find driving in Bengaluru quite comfortable. It’s easier if you have a small car. I don’t worry about small scratches and feel it’s a waste of time fighting on the roads. If you start worrying, you will stop driving. Ignore the scratches and dents and drive, then you will enjoy driving.
I also enjoy driving with the music on. That is the only place where I listen to music, and it is also personal time for me. When I take off for long drives, the list of CDs grows.
As told to Shilpa Sebastian R
