Many years ago, when I
started taking driving lessons in Srinagar, the instructor gave me only one
advice. Just drive. He had an old Maruti 800 and while driving on
the chaotic roads of downtown Srinagar, he would say just drive, doesn’t matter
who comes in front of you. ‘This is my car, and I don’t mind you damaging
it’. I suppose he was trying to take the
fear out of me (though I doubt I was ever fearful). After only having a few such lessons I bought
a car. You can imagine my driving skills
apart from ‘Just drive’.
I remember one day I
asked my friend let’s go for a drive to SKIMS Soura from SMHS doctors hostel at
Karan Nagar. I was barely able to use
first and second gear of the car. I think it took us few hours to reach SKIMS,
and although I tried my best, I could not get into 3rd gear. I suppose one
cannot drive going forwards only and when it came to reversing, I was not able
to manage that either but somehow turned around.
Looking back on this
experience, although at the time it was probably thrilling and exciting, it
surely was a blunder and risk not only to me and my friend, but others driving
and walking on the road. I don’t know
whom to blame, myself, the driving instructor who taught me ‘just drive’ and
nothing more or the licensing department who issue licenses without proper
tests. But at the end of the day, it was
me who made the decision to drive when I knew I should not have.
Many years later, when
I had to take a driving test in the United Kingdom, I realised the importance
of the driving rules and necessary training.
Believe me, the driving test was the toughest exam of my life (though I
can’t remember how many exams I have taken by now), even though I had driven
more than 100000 miles before.
We should never take driving
lightly, life is precious and any vehicle is a potential weapon which can kill
and disable.
©MudasirFirdosi
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