Need for Speed

Finally started with my car driving lessons! I was supposed to begin in early December of last year but with the applying to various universities going on, time was not easy to find and well, I procrastinated a long time. But with 3 months of nothing else to do than get ready for Rice University, I finally went ahead and started it.

So it was 7:30 am on Wednesday, the 3^rd of June and I was sitting in a white Maruti Alto feeling the power of a 1250 HP engine beneath me.. Needless to say I was thinking more along the lines of the popular Need for Speed gaming franchise and started out great- ready to handle the clutch and manually shift the gears from the word "Go" until the near miss some 10 mins later..

About 400 metres away from the BASF company branch here is a small road frequented by bus drivers who are in a rush to get to their next stop and if you have ever been here then you know how maniacally these guys drive.. This particular stretch of road had a steep turn downhill and I was going uphill at about 45 km/h when two, not one, buses come hollering down the road at great speed trying to overtake the other.. I admit I had a heart beat that would have made Usain Bolt proud but was aware enough to use the handbrake which I knew did exactly what the games told (Who says gaming is not useful?? ) and steered to the left of the road which was about 20 metres above a thorny ravine and then steered back onto the road just as we were about to fall in! I deserve the Bravery Award from the President, I say..

Oh I am just kidding, the instructor pulled over to the road before I could do anything and thats that! Seriously though, nothing ever happens when you want it to- least of all during your very first car driving lesson.. I have had two classes so far and its been a cinch till now: Looks like that Merc is not far off :P