A race to beat boredom

Returning back from my native place, kanjirapally, a couple of days back I had this strange encounter.

The roads stretched like a never-ending black serpent, the traffic dotted the tarmac like the spots on a diamond back, the sun beginning it's descent, cast  a spectral glow over the landscape. The setting magnificent and yet the solitude still was ever omnipresent. The speedo read a 100kms an hour and nothing to beat the silence and the hum of the diesel engine than the occasional honk by the insensitive. just another lazy drive on one of the zillion roads stretching across the country. 

The radio was play country music and with no source of other entertainment I decided to play with the other drivers, racing. Not being a professional racer I guess the playing field was equally placed. Now, to find a willing participant is tough as not many want to take you up on it. Finally after 15 minutes I get a willing driver in a much smaller car, a santro.  It zipped, it overtook and kept on moving... Well very soon the whole thing got extremely competitive.  Both of us not willing to compromise and hence the race went on. 

The guttural lyrics of Leonard Cohen was suddenly broken by the wail of an ambulance in the distance. A peek at the rear view mirror showed the ambulance at quite a distance, but being the only vehicle in the country capable of covering vast differences quickly with the co-operation of any and all drivers, it was but moments that the ambulance was right behind me. Being the dutiful citizen and a member of the social strata I move to an empty lane and let the ambulance overtake me. 

The ambulance overtakes and with it a dozen ambulance chasers... These are people with the urge to reach a destination faster using the ambulance as a bulldozer to clear the way.  Along with the dozen cars go the santro I was racing with. 

That's unfair I say to myself and gun my car down the road, eating up kilometers and overtaking other cars with ease and very soon it's the ambulance, the santro and I. Well never one to give Ito cheaters I overtake the santro the ambulance and speed on. Well the roads of Kerala are also littered with cops and speed guns, not wanting to get caught and fined I decide to be an ambulance chaser myself. I did not have to wait long and soon settled into a groove behind the ambulance... The santro behind me. 

Well the pleasure was short lived and the ambulance turned off from the highway to the city and soon it was back to me and the santro jostling for position. I think to myself, god this fellow can be persistent, but the four lane highway soon came to an end and the old single lane started... With the number of car increased the road just wasn't enough and only the most adept have any chance for moving forward...

The santro well although good on the four lane was not as fast on the single lane, showing that it was driven by someone not very familiar to the highways of the old... Well it works to my benefit and well since the driving just got more challenging there was no need to race... I just had to move ahead and reach home before the sun set... Well a distant possibility but hey  no harm in trying and setting goals.... 

Floored by 4x4-ing

Working in the plantations of the winding and densely green environs of Coorg is any jeep enthusiasts dream environment. This dream kingdom do come with its little adventures every once in a while and if you are not very careful the everyday is just another accident waiting to happen.

Being from the city I was pretty confident behind the wheel of any automobile and to boost it pretty cocky about it too... But I must say with a pretty heavy heart that it was disappointing when I heard that I had to undo or unlearn everything I knew about city driving before I got behind the wheel of a jeep.

Stepping into the cockpit of my uncles sturdy yet rugged Mahindra pick-up I felt mighty proud and also felt like there was nothing really that difficult but well that was before I put it in gear. First gear and a little throttle and hey it was like driving bumper cars. The jeep had a mind of its own and thats when realised that what my uncle said was true... I had to learn to drive again!

Follow a few rules and the jeep is your best friend on Tarmac and off it!

1. Drive slowly. This is a torquey engine so the moment you think your feet are peddle friendly back off, ease the vehicle to a decent speed and you really get going.

2. When off the road never ever loose your concentration! Take your eyes off the road and you can guarantee yourself in a ditch! Trust me I know! But the fun part is taking it out of the ditch! Ha ha ha. ( look back and laugh, at that moment you are grabbing for any idea that will help you).

3. Never try to speed your way through slush, always ease your jeep through it. Nurse it and you will come out of it with flying colours. Rush it and again you can guarantee yourself eating dirt, grime and slush!

4. When on four wheel drive alway remember to never ride the clutch! The jeep, like I began has a mind of its own. Just steer and be amazed at the way you overcome obstacles... To know how cross the obstacle and look back at the way you crossed!

5. When carrying its maximum pay load always be sure to drive with care. Slowly and without too much sudden acceleration.

Follow the above simple rules and you will definitely enjoy the joys of going 4x4! Learning from my mistakes and with the patient tutoring from my uncle I must say I was definitely. Floored by 4x4-ing!

Pockets of nostalgia

Being very new to the ever popular city of Chennai everything seems new and well it is also an exercise in getting to know all the umpteen different things that I have heard people harp over and over. To me the city is just another one of those cities that have been extremely popular during the British Raj and yeah the influence has certainly rubbed off on the city, this is quite evident in the architecture… Sadly it’s only the architecture that has the influences of the our European motherland, the people are still the same old same old.

The interesting aspect that I found quite pleasurable is the fact that no matter which locality you are in, in Chennai you always have that one house, shop, building, company, arch etc that seems to have forgotten time. In most cases any of the above said real estate stands in this little pocket of nostalgia, reminding everyone about the days gone by. Each having a story to it and each enriched as the days pass by.

Every day I pass by one of the cities exclusive locales and it’s just lovely to see old house as they jostle for position with sprawling modern bungalows… The modern houses although look fantastic and futuristic it still pales in comparison with the artistic grandeur of the age old bungalows. The intrinsic carvings and the elaborate awnings of the old buildings are unmatchable. The craftsmanship is outstanding. Not that I am biased about the modern way of doing things, but it’s just that the modern has a very artificial feel to it, not being too inviting in execution, not being too warm and comfortable and well very factory-ish if ever there is a term like that.

In a way I can say that we are partly biased to some feelings of nostalgia as it represents a set of memories that we choose to cherish and not let go of. I look at a old hose and think of the grandeur it once had I also stare in admiration at the fact that it is still holding good in these times of change and I applaud the owners for not giving in to greed and helping in maintaining that oasis of memories.