My younger sister was married in 2005. When we had to manage the wedding, we drove around in our family friend’s Maruti Omni. Since I was handling a lot of wedding-related responsibilities, I had to pick up driving.
A cousin took me to an empty road in JP Nagar to teach me driving. I had a basic idea, though I had never driven a car. He gave me a very basic lesson. So, the very next day, bravely, I took the car out all by myself and learnt driving on my own, trying to figure out how the mechanics worked. Within three hours, I had figured out the basics and drove into traffic.
As a beginner, when you sit at the wheel, you realise that the car switches itself off for no reason. I had multiple instances of the car switching off and always used to wonder if it was because I had not accelerated enough or had let go of the clutch a bit too early.
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One instance that I remember is going on a drive with my sister on an uphill road.
And, not surprisingly, the car just stopped in the middle of the road while I was trying to manoeuvre it up. Not only had the car stopped, but I could also not hold it in position. So, we started sliding backwards and brushed the bus behind us, lightly. As I got out to push the car back up, the kind bus conductor helped. Other than that, I don’t think I have had any major issues or accidents on the road, thankfully.
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By the time I got my licence, I had already driven a lot, and getting my licence was a breeze. I went on long drives too. Even before I made Shuddhi , I had directed a film titled BE (MECH) , a low-budget feature film. During the making of that film, I used my cousin’s Wagon R. I still remember I had taken off to the Mullayanagiri Hills.
During the making of Shuddhi , we had a black XUV, which belonged to my friend. That was my main means of transport in the course of the shoot.
Recently, my mother surprised me by gifting me a bike last June for my birthday. I was never a fan of bikes, as I was more used to scooters and had not ridden a bike. I never even wanted to own one, but that gesture from my mother made me use it. She had planned the surprise and had chosen the colour. That is the story behind my Bajaj V15. It is made from the Vikrant warship’s body. I was touched.
I am totally into bikes now. I am yet to go on a long ride on my bike, but it has been driven for 8,800 kilometres. My dream car is the Jaguar. I also love any Toyota-made product. I love all the vehicles made by them, be it the Innova, Etios or anything else.
But a Jaguar is what I would like to have in my garage. It might take a while, but I amsure it will happen...