[bharti22shresth]

THAT ONE FIRST TIME
First of all, I’d like to apologise to the moderators if I’ve posted this topic in the wrong section. Please forgive me this one time and direct me to the correct section.

I'd like to share with you, my fellow bhpians a small but a very important part of my life. Also I would like to apologise in advance to any grammatical or format errors that you may notice. This is the 1st topic after my introduction so kindly bear with me.

(Somewhere in may-June of 2004)
5:30 AM
Dad: (Shouting) Wake up you sleep lover. It’s your day today.
Me: (half asleep, thinking as if I’m still dreaming) Yes my baby, I’ll drive you. I’ll treat you like my girl friend. I’ll pamper you like you are a part of me.
Dad: (shaking me to break my sleep) what on earth are you speaking?
Me: oh! Oh! Sorry dad, I think I over slept. No wait its still 5:40. Had we not decided on 6:30?
Dad: No. It was 5:30.
Me: (suddenly realising that I did make the time mistake) sorry dad. I’ll be ready in 15 minutes.
15 minutes later
Me: Let’s go dad.
Dad: Whatever.
I suppose I haven’t told you guys as of yet. It was the day I was to drive a car for the first time.
Sitting in the car, while going to the empty parking lot I was to try driving in, my head went towards the night before.
10:00 PM
Me: (curious) papa, when was the first time you drove a car?
Dad: When I had bought one.
Me: So that means that I won’t be able to drive one for like another 7-8 years?
Dad: you should have asked a month earlier.
Me: (ecstatic, in disbelief, somewhere in cloud 100 or 120) do you really mean it?
Dad: Yes I do. Tomorrow morning, 5:30 sharp!
Me: (I suppose in my head only) Nooo! I don’t wake up that early dad. 6:30 ok!
Fast forward to the next morning
6:00 AM
Dad: before I let you sit on this driving seat, let me tell you a few things you need to aware of on the road.
1. Dogs.
2. Autos and rickshaw pullers.
3. Non-helmet bikers.
4. Women drivers.
5. Aged people driving.
6. Learners like you.
Me: papa that is like a list of everything that moves on the road!
Dad: that is the whole point.
Me: (nodding my head in admittance) and?
Dad: That’s about it. I know you’ll be knowing what and where the clutch, the brakes, the accelerator (big grin on my face), the gear and the hand brake would be, how to use them and what are there functions.
Me: (lost in my own thoughts of ripping this ride at a 100kmph after rolling in the first try only, suddenly realising my position) yes.
Dad: ok now, we switch places.
(I sit on the driver’s seat and dad on the co-passenger)
Dad: One more thing. (His hand on the dashboard) treats her like your girl friend, pamper her like she’s a part of you. It’s somewhat in our blood, this driving. I, dad, chachaji, even my late dadaji, all have enjoyed driving cars and bikes. We have had some great and some not so great memories while doing so but never has any of us disrespected our vehicles. It is a legacy that you have to carry on.
Me: (Having just realised where my passion for cars comes from, nearly into tears) papa, I’ll treat her as a part of me.
Dad: so what are you waiting for then kid!
Press the clutch.
Shift to neutral.
Crank up the engine.
(I was doing each in the respective position as and along I was being told)
(Both my hands were on the steering wheel now. And I’ve to admit, I was a nervous wreck at that moment. I was sweating or maybe I was just feeling the heat I don’t know, not even today)
Put her into 1st gear. Good.
Now, slowly take off your foot from the clutch while slowly pressing the accelerator.
(I try. Big jerk and the car stalls)
(Dad, smirking) I never said that you’ll be able to roll her in the 1st try ever.
(Okay now, that did not help. Now, I was sweating alright. I tried again. She stalled. I try again, she stalled. This repeated full 5 times in all. Anger, disgust and shame were hounding me now)
Me: (to myself) OI! What on earth are you thinking? Dude, you have waited for this moment for ever since you remember. It’s not tough. You know that. It’s just about the right release time of the clutch and right pressing time of the accelerator. You know it all. Calm down boy! Calm down.
(I pick up the water bottle kept on the back seat and finish it al in one go)
(Dad’s now loosing patience; I can see it in his eyes)
(I close my eyes. Crank her up, 1st gear. Then shabbily while letting go of the clutch, give half the accelerator. My eyes are still closed. I open them to see THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SIGHT EVER!)
(SHE WAS MOVING. THOUGH A BIT ROUGH BUT SHE WAS; IT WAS LIKE ALL THE WORLD’S HAPPINES AHD COME RUSHING TO ME IN JUST ONE SECOND. A SECOND THAT LASTED FOR WAT SEEMED LIKE A CENTURY. IT’S UN-DESCRIBABLE AS TO WHAT YOU FEEL AT SUCH A MOMENT. I MAY COMPARE IT TO THE FEELING THAT A PARENT EXPERIENCES HIS/HER KID WALKS FOR THE FIRST TIME BUT THEN THAT’LL BE AN UNDERKILL. IT WAS THE DREAM OF MY LIFE COMING TRUE. MANY PEOPLE WORK THROUGH OUT THEIR LIVES TO ATTAIN WHAT THEY’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO BUT SOME DO, SOME DON’T GET THE ENDING THAT THEY’D WANTED TO. I HAVEN’T THOUGHT OF ANY SUCH ENDING. FOR ME THEIR IS JUST THE START. AND THIS START WAS COMING TO BE REAL RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME)
(All this while dad had been sitting besides me and just observing the expressions on my face. He hadn’t spoken anything for a full 15 minutes; Neither had I. Neither did any of us till we reached back home, he drove)
6:45 AM
Dad: You did well today.
Me: It’s just a start. Thank you papa!

Signing off
Shresth Bharti

[aaggoswami]

The description is nice. The stalling was not a major issue with me either on bike or car.
The experience is honest and shows the patience of elders.

So now do you have a driver's license and know driving well ?

[bharti22shresth]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

The description is nice. The stalling was not a major issue with me either on bike or car.
The experience is honest and shows the patience of elders.

So now do you have a driver's license and know driving well ?

yes sir.
This happened when i was in 10th class(arnd 15 yrs of age).
Now have a proper driving license for more than a year and drive pretty good by anyone's standards.

[vinit.merchant]

Very well written.
So much of writing explaining the driving experience, but not a single word to describe which car it was ?

I wish I remember my first day so well. Its well over 15 years.

[bharti22shresth]

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

Very well written.
So much of writing explaining the driving experience, but not a single word to describe which car it was ?

Good catch sir.
It's a santro zip-plus LS(2002)(SILVER color)
absolutely adore the vehicle.
I wonder when i'll be able to call it mine.

[abhinav.gupta88]

Reminds me of my 1st day of driving.
Only part was it was not my dad , but my driver.
About 5 years back when just completed 15.

[Akshay1234]

lol memories. i sat in the drivers seat for the first time when i was 11 in an ohc 1.3. released the clutch too quick and the car stalled 3 times. after that gave too much gas and the car shot forward. got scared and didnt try again for a few months. this was with my dad. i then tried when i was 12 after a couple of months in a baleno. got it on the first try. since then its been happy driving.

first time i drove an auto was when i was 15. it was an old camry. there was nothing to it.

[Eddy]

Well done. As they say: You never really learn to swear, unless you learn how to drive.

So, how is the swearing going on now.

[bharti22shresth]

Originally Posted by Eddy

Well done. As they say: You never really learn to swear, unless you learn how to drive.

So, how is the swearing going on now.

Well, lets just say being in a region that has the punjab capital 10 kms away+me being a 19 year+ driving for 4 years+ a Punjab university student doesnt actually help in that department.

[gd1418]

Bharti,

How wonderfully written, detailing to the last word. I've forgotten that first day when I held the steering wheel of my Grand-dad's Landmaster....sigh. The only thing I remember is it was sooo difficult to shift in 3rd gear as every time I managed to slot it in the 1st making a very loud and scaring "krrrrr" noise..

[d3adlythegame]

the funny or strange part with me was that, i got the car to move in the my first try, but didnt get it after that for the rest of the day LOL . And next day it was like as if i have been drivin for ages.

[daemon]

hehe ..that is sooo true Eddy

Originally Posted by Eddy

Well done. As they say: You never really learn to swear, unless you learn how to drive.

So, how is the swearing going on now.

[indra_slk]

This reminds me of my first time of driving when i was 7 and drove my dad's skoda with my mother. But on my private property. Had the same stalling problems.

[bharti22shresth]

c'mon bhpians...
don't you guys have your first driving experiences to share?

[D.V.R]

indra_slk you say you drove your dad's skoda when you were 7,going by your DOB then it should be 1999.But AFAIK Octy was launched in 2002,so did you import it?