I learnt driving rather late in life, only seven years ago, after I moved to Bengaluru. Having grown up in Abu Dhabi and living in Melbourne for a few years, I used public transport. So though I was eager to learn, there really was never any need. When I gave up my banking job I moved to India and co-founded Chumbak, a range of lifestyle products with an Indian theme. Now, I take up freelance assignments and run my own product chain. Once I shifted into a locality on the outskirts of Bengaluru, with a fair amount of travel to reach the city, I decided to learn driving. Have you tried getting a rickshaw at a normal rate?! Well that was the main reason I felt I needed to drive.
My first car was a Red Maruti Alto, a hand-me-down, that belonged to my sister-in-law. I loved the car; it was a great machine to learn the basics of driving on. I hated driving in traffic, and was terrified when the car stalled for the first time. As time went by, I grew more comfortable with traffic jams, though I was super slowly. On the bright side, I realised that driving in heavy traffic meant that speed was not a factor. I am a much more confident driver now, though I prefer longer trips to city drives. My favourite drives in the city are on Sunday mornings, when the pace of the city is languid and the traffic is practically non-existent. My constant companion on my trips in the car is Charlie, my dog and I always keep dog biscuits in the front cabinet.
A couple of years ago, when I thought I could do with a new car, I flipped through numerous car magazines, waded through car brochures from everywhere, but eventually settled on getting an Alto again, in the very same red. It is my first love and will always remain so.
As told to Nikhil Varma
