Licensed to drive

I learnt to drive a car when I was 14, the car was owned by my aunt (my mother’s youngest sister) who was a doctor and that was the only car amongst the near relatives our middle middle class family. One day a couple of months after my mother’s death my aunt had come with some relatives and I as usual took off for a joy ride on returning one of the relatives remarked “Beta apane abba ke haisiyat ke shoak rakho ge to accha ho ga” literally translated it means “Son it would be better if have interests/habits as per the status of your dad” I was 15 then, looking back I feel, may be, it was well intentioned but at that moment it stung worse than a slap in public and I swore that the next car I will touch would be my own.

A couple of years from then I purchased *my* own mobike, yes I was under age but things could be managed in the good old days 😉 It was a Black Hero Honda from the first lot to hit Indian roads, well worth my savings from N number of years. The freedom/thrill of a mobike decreased the covetousness of a car. I toured the four corners of the country on that bike…

When I got married, Swati had a car from her office. It served us well and it was more convenient for me to sit while she drove, besides she was scared of me driving – her quote till date is “You drive as if you are in a video game!!” but to my credit I drove her around during her pregnancy and when the day came I took her to the hospital as well.

Cut to last year – we got a Wagon R for Swati which I did not drive either.

However of late I realised that it is too much work for her to drive around doing all the things and all I currently had was a bicycle which limited my range considerably. So to balance the things a bit, yesterday I went to RTO to get my two wheeler license renewed (you have to do that when you are 40) and while I was at it I also appeared for and passed the driving test for a car!

So now I am officially licensed to drive a car on Indian roads and while I can pretty much afford any car in the market I don’t think I am buying one… a new mobike yes may be!

  • Relatives…sometimes you just don’t need any other enemies…As someone who has been “dark”, “not smart”, not wanting an arranged marriage but not finding my own choice, and so on, I have been at the receiving end of so many in-my-face and behind-my-back comments…In fact, Tarique, I always say we should have relative managing whatever enterprieses we start, because they manage our business SO well!

    Yes, I am sure there are many people with nice relatives, but alas, I have not been blessed in that direction…well, thank goodness for the handful of nice ones I have, and the fact that I have hardly any close relatives (in India) now, who would know, or find out, everything about me and feel free to comment and judge… I find our culture of all relatives getting into the act more an irritation than a source of support.

  • now for the main body of the post…you are a very unsual man (most of them worship wheels) and a very unusual person, not to equate success with the acquistion of an automobile, and not getting a 4 wheel licence the minute you legally could!

    • The only thing I equate my success with, is my feeling of happiness and statisfaction derived from a given task. Right now it is about asset building for SANIsoft. Yes it does get linked to materialistic things but not so directly…

      As for an automobile – the best phrase to describe the feeling is in Hindi “Car maN se he uttar gayi” right now a car is a utility tool for us – gets us from point A to be

      Hmmm… sometime in distant future I may settle for a Chopper / 4 seater aircraft of my own to commute :D

      • OK, when you get the chopper, get a round dozen because we in Blr can certainly use some…traffic has been a great incentive for me to walk/cycle as far as I can!

      • sometime in distant future I may settle for a Chopper / 4 seater aircraft of my own to commute

        Gah! For a moment, I thought you were talking about this kinda chopper.

        • Wish I could afford one! OCC = Insanely expensive!

  • Mubarak ho, Sani Sahib 🙂

    BTW, Bullet is what you could look at one the bike side 😉

    • Thanks, Bullet was what I was considering – would add to my Vintage value ;)

      • He he, its all in the mind, as we tell ourselves every year 😉

        • Yes, we ALL tell ourselves it’s all in the mind, but sometimes various parts of us tell us otherwise! Good health is, I think, such a pre-requisite of feeling young, or young at heart.

          How did I get on to health from 2 and 4 wheelers discussion? A digress is a female large cat that wanders from the Zoo!

          • >A digress is a female large cat that wanders from the Zoo!

            Understatement, that :-))

  • I abhor riding bikes.
    Strictly a car guy..
    Maybe its because I covet speed(insane speed) which is dangerous in a car and fatal in a bike, or maybe my biking accidents are the reason, or maybe its the constant heat and dust and extreme weather?
    There are times when I miss biking, but they are far fretched, and everytime the speedo needle goes beyond the 130 mark, I wonder, why a bike!

    I am a speed freak, but not too much into coveting danger(which finds me on a bike always) sometomes in the form of cows, sometimes madmen who jump in front of me and dance and make me break my shoulder. 😀

    • I am a speed freak, but not too much into coveting danger

      WIMP!

      • A fractured shoulder recently and a slipped disc not so recently have made me more “grown up” 😀

  • Scuderia Ferrari maybe?

    I volunteer to be driver if you buy one!!

    • If you can believe – let me tell you that I was offered one of those a few years ago under the condition that I shift to Thailand and it was not as in being shown a picture – it was the car standing in front of me and keys in my hand.

      I had a picture of the said beauty somewhere on the SANIsoft site to remind me that my dreams are worth more than that and I can assure you that you will retract your offer if ever I make one :)

      • had a picture of the said beauty somewhere on the SANIsoft site to remind me that my dreams are worth more than that and I can assure you that you will retract your offer if ever I make one 🙂

        Ummm… well, i meant it. If i can write code sitting in this room, i can write code sitting in a parked ferrari. You dont travel too much generally i hope 😉

        • You dont travel too much generally i hope 😉
          I don’t but I might consider an insanely expensive SUV in which case I will

          • Reminds me of the old infy driver who made tons of money when they went public. Lucky or oppurtunistic? I wonder

            • Lucky or oppurtunistic? I wonder
              Neither – sticking with the right people for long enough!

    • https://www.sanisoft.com/album/index.php?g=bangkok1&p=0&frpg=&f=#pic
      Found the pictures (pay attention only to the top 4 ;))