I learnt lot of driving from my mom and brother. In fact, I was the one who knew the difference between gears - 4 and reverse in the car. Anyone who has experience driving an Ambassador would know what I am saying. These two gears are so close in this car that many times, one would be looking back after putting the reverse gear only to see the car move forward ! I would differentiate between the clicks of the gear. When my mom wanted to reverse the car, she would wait for my approval to take her feet off the brakes. And mind you, the gears would be so hard, you need to put half your strength just to take the car out of the home.
For getting the driver license, I got enrolled into a driving school. The driving schools taught only in Maruti cars as they were getting very popular at that time. After having some experience driving Ambassador, driving Maruti was like driving a toy car. When the instructor asked me to put the first gear, remembering my good old pal at home, I used half my force to do what I was told. The instructor looked at me astonished "Do you learn karate? If you use this much force, the gears of this car will be damaged". It was a relief to know that driving will not result in putting Iodex(cream to relieve muscular pain) in arms.
Driving a Maruti was pretty easy and fun. Somehow, I was able to cajole my dad to buy a Maruti car. We bought a nice blue car from my mom's friend. They had kept the car in a very good condition and it was well equipped with music stereo and AC. What more can a teenager ask for! I have very fond memories of my college days driving it around. And yes I got my first license on Oct 9, a decade back. I remember I had to miss my dear friend Inder's birthday but having a license to drive was a gratification of it's own.
11 years hence I am still missing his birthday today on Oct 9 2007.
Happy Birthday Inder! Wishing you a wonderful life with your wonderful wife, Arc.
5 comments:
I could write a whole book on my driving experience.One may need to apply iodex after driving an Ambassador but it is a real challenge and the only majestic car worth the name.The rest crumble like papads at the slightest provocation.Not so my good old Ambasador.However for oldies like me Maruti is quite enough manageable as it is.
Inder says thanks ;-).
And you've been pretty much there :-).
(ps: Thx for calling me a wonderful wife ;-) I think all wives are wonderful :-p)
Et tu HHG. I can understand that you feel Ambassador as majestic. My dad is of the same opinion. Later we owned Maruti 800 and then 1000 but I know if it was easier to maintain Ambassador, my dad would have never parted with it.
Arch, You are very welcome! :)
Hey joy!! Nice post... Me a complete maruti babe (probably coz never went ten feet near an ambassador..tch tch)
But I drive like someone gave me a license to kill (not too much practice...) So I know how to coerce my dad now (tho he mostly refuses to sit beside me wen I'm driving!!):)
Ah! anotehr amby vetran...
:-) if u can driver amby in indian roads, you can drive almost any car anywhere in the world... :-D My sweet amby - black beauty- is 1984 model, and came with hand shift. @ 1996, she got a heart transplant, and underwent anoterh surgery to remove the hand shift to put a floor shift.
She is the apple of our eye, and is a shining black beauty - I have kitted her with almost all imaginable comforts - AC with sanden compressor, Pioneer stearo with amp and six speakers, leatehr upholstery and all teh works... :-D
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