Learning Car driving... Drives Me Crazy...

Learning car driving seems to be an interesting way to get spanked from someone after paying him/ her your hard-earned money! I took up this great decision, when my wife, like for many other, offered support to repay the loan a few months back.

I promptly joined a "Specialised—Advanced" driving school in the town. Worse as it may sound, I decided to take up the early morning slot of 6:00 AM... Half asleep and half awake, I reached the driving school, to be greeted by a lifeless (only till I took to the wheel) driving instructor and a badly beaten car.

Another brave young man joined me for the class. The instructor started with a deluge of instructions on all the basics of car driving for 5 loooooooooooong minutes... then to my own surprise, in my excitement I accepted his challenge (???) and opted to be the first to take the lesson... As I took to the steering-wheel, was surprised and confused at those extra set of brake and clutch at his end...

Now as I started, the instructions began... Change to neutral... hold the brake.... change to first gear.... hold the brake.... release the clutch.... hmmm slowly... slowly... brake... not accelerator... whew.... yeah that's like it.... now third... horn.... brake... now fourth ... slow down... show hand signal... clutch... hold it before you change gears... how many times do I tell you... I slowly started getting used to the atmosphere....

Never did I imagine, that moments later I would be driving on right angles to other vehicles.... my confusion of those extra set of brake/clutch on his end made sense now! The inundation of instructions poured out continually... only that they were at an increasingly irate tone ...

Few days later a day when I felt had driven not too well, and my instructor surprised me by saying I was ready for the practical test. The driving school scheduled the test a few weeks later, I was asked to report at 09:30 am. Stood in a long queue to pay the test fees and got my papers stamped by 11:30 am. I was then asked to go over to the Municipal Ground where the test would commence.

Testing commenced at 02:30 pm. My driving instructor, who constantly showered his "blessings" when I took to wheel, suddenly became helpful and helped me stay at ease before the examiner appeared. Seven of us from the same school appeared for the test. I felt I had messed up (as usual?) while changing gears. But to my surprise, after three gear changes he asked me to pull the vehicle to the side. I did that using the light indicator. When he asked why I did not show the hand signal before stopping, I acted as if am a seasoned driver of an air-conditioned car!

Whew... was I relieved when he asked me to switch off the car and go back to join the co-learners who by now, were more than relieved to have me in the rear than at the wheel...

All of us were equally bad! Three of the seven who appeared didn't make it. [They always maintain that ratio am told!]. Was extremely delighted when I heard that I’d passed on the very first attempt.

Classes gone and with a licence to flash, I now have more experience in car driving than the Hindi film Actor Salman Khan for his decent dressing!!!