“DRIVING RUNS IN THE BLOOD”

Whenever I am rushing to office to arrive in time, for an important engagement, there are a lot of hurdles on the way.
Apart from searching the hidden road in the ditches, the one-ways, sudden closures of roads for traffic, continuous repairs to the roads, the perennial floods on the road, which are the givens, in Pune;
for me there is a special hurdle.
This defies probability theory.
The theory enunciates that, out of a hundred times you flip the coin, 50 times it will be heads up and the rest tails. O.K., principally. In my case the coin stands on the edge. Improbable you say?.
View this scenario.
The moment, my car hits the road, there will be, all the Driving school cars, converging on me. All around me. Granted, this could be the head side of the probability, but all of them being the first day learners, is quite disconcerting, to digest.
They are not aware about; which is the clutch and which one the accelerator.
Why they choose my car only, for all their learning lessons. My car has become a museum piece now.
Like iron filings to the magnet; they seem to cling to my good old jalopy.
The police are of no help, neither the instructors who are in the pilot seat.
I have asked the manufacturer of my car to provide me a special thicker casing, and an indelible paint, plus a coating; which could repel other cars. The request is under consideration.
I have obtained a special insurance cover, that in the event of my car being hit, by the Driving school trainees, I will get full reimbursement. No deductions. An additional premium for me, which is the price I pay, for being a magnet.
A few questions to these Schools, which they can take up at their Association’s convention.
• Why don’t you all, go to some foot-ball grounds, in the city? Any way, these are not being used to play foot-ball.
• Why don’t you use for your preliminary lessons, roads with scarcer traffic?
• Why don’t you hire the driving tracks, from some of the car manufacturers at a price?
• Why use the busy roads, at the busiest hours?
• Should the traffic police, not stop them before they land as missiles on my car?
There are some skills which are acquired just like that. No formal training required.
In cities you see the youngsters, learning swimming from some instructors at the swimming-pools etc. In coastal Konkan you will notice the children of fishermen; jumping in the creeks, around, right from their first step on ground.
None teaches them swimming. They learn it by themselves.

You are Puneites, hence I have guessed; your question.
“You were also once a learner in the Driving school. Were you not? ; why pick at them now; when you are out from the same gate.”

“Sorry, wrong den I was born in Detroit.”

M. S. RANADE,
mranade@vsnl.com
PUBLISHED IN TIMES OF INDIA PUNE, ON FRIDAY 15TH SEPT, 2006, PUNE WEST SUPPLEMENT.