“Wednesdays with Manav” — The Driving Chapter: Part 2

My Early Riding and Driving Days

It was 1997–98 when we had a Bajaj Super, a geared scooter. It was off my father’s radar as he mostly drove cars during that time. The scooter sat untouched and parked in our house’s verandah.

I always had my eye on it, and once I rode the gear less scooter of Sharma Uncle’s friend, I wanted to ride my own scooter, a geared one.

But before riding, I learned how to drive a car.

Let me tell you that part before sharing my scooter riding sagas.

I Drove

My parents wanted my sister to learn to drive, and they tried to train her. One evening, when my father was free, he took her out for driving lessons.

Being the smallest one in the family, I always sneaked in with both of them, carrying my famous driving accessory — A cushion wrapped with my bath towel.

The moment I sat at the back, I kept irritatingly saying to my father that I would also drive after she was done.

My sister had so much pressure and anxiety that she couldn’t make the initial movement of the car from the rest state. She always had a bad relationship with clutch and gear coordination. Till date, she drives an automatic car.

The jerks and jolts made me and my father very irritated.