My first wheels that I bought with my money was a Chevy Captiva, a cream-coloured SUV that I had with me for a long time. Prior to that, appa had bought a Ford Ikon in Chennai and that is what I used to drive after returning from the US. But that was after I got an Indian licence. And only then did I buy my own car.
I enjoy long drives. In 2009, Darshana, my wife, was expecting our daughter Ammeya. Darshana was in Thiruvananthapuram with her parents. On an impulse, I just loaded all the baby stuff I had been buying and drove all the way from Chennai to Thiruvananthapuram with just one stop on the way. I started at around 11 in the night from Chennai and reached Thiruvananthapuram by 7.30 am. The only time I stopped was to take a short break as I felt sleepy. Parking the car by the roadside, I took a nap and then took the wheel again. Everyone got a surprise when I landed in Thiruvananthapuram. But the biggest surprise was that Ammeya decided to arrive earlier than the date the doctors had predicted. Ammeya was born the day after I reached Thiruvananthapuram.
ADVERTISEMENT
A couple of years later, I bought my dream car — a Jaguar that I still cherish. It was white when I bought it, but a little later I got it wrapped in blue and now it is black. No plans of selling it any time now. Music is a constant when I drive. And I have a long and eclectic playlist. I think I am a careful fast driver.
(As told to Saraswathy Nagarajan)