For a newly trained driver, driving on Mumbai streets is the ultimate test. We have all types of drivers the speeders, lazy ones, extra cautious ones, honkers, headlight flashers, show-offers...Here are some experiences jotted down.
We are driving across the flyover (Bombay version of one) its more of a crawlover...so I am behind the wheel and a scrawny rider sporting a sunflower-yellow-tee and dark-black glared look just glides past the car and does a swoop with equally fashion challenged companion behind him. Thankfully the crawliness of the car prevents me from bumping into them. They smirk look behind and off they are. Aarrgh!
The phase where I have just acquired my learners licence and trying to maneuver my way across a busy market place, trying not to knock anyone down. The narrowness of the road with hawkers strewn on both sides and a busy evening makes it tough to get that sedan to other end. Being slow and steady is the only solution the way I see it but not without bearing the brunt of several restless honkers behind but I somehow hold my own. Reach the end on the street with only a few 'show of middle-finger-kinda-glances' at couple of them. My co-traveller is all along giving me relaxing tips and how not loose my cool. Phew...
The most frustrating is all the stereo-type lady drivers treatment you get from everyone around. The engine stops mid-road suddenly, sudden brakes because someone cuts your lane, an animal suddenly runs across a busy road..every reaction is meted with a nod of head and 'lady driver alert' look. This masochism even on the streets fills me with anger. Though I must point out an advantage of this lady driver stereotype syndrome is you can always get a bunch of people willing to push your car to jumpstart it at any time even after mid-night! and at any place or some random stranger to help you park in the narrowest of spaces or someone to pull that handbrake when it is jammed.
A nightride along the bandra seafront stretch or the sea-link road or the marine drive stretch has all those flaunters. They vrooom their engines to catch your attention and the zoom past you in the blink of an eye. The show is brilliant and admirable when you get to see your car magazine latest showcased model right on the streets but it would be more respectful if these owners didn't pass lewd remarks or lusty looks and the same cars weren't spotted outside the trendy colleges (driven by wasted tweenies-rich parents-spoilt brat ones)
The Mumbai-Pune expressway is one stretch of drive itself is beautiful as the winding road goes through the hills carpeted with lush green trees and waterfalls coming out of nowhere. The long tunnels gives you this cavy sort of feeling, monkeys to be spotted on the sidewalls. But read about the gruesome incidents the sight of blood and smashed metal is mind-numbing scary. The speeders love this road and alcoholic-speeders are in plenty. A drive through this lane always gives you this out of the city-feel but lurking behind your mind are all those incidents in the back of your head.
Snapshots of crazy moments:
-Mistaking a traffic policeman for a toll collector. He laughed, I laughed no harm done : )
-My spooky car plays dead every once in awhile. Only to recover by itself, like a true horror movie the lights all turn on and off by itself : o
-Sliding backwards on a high speedbraker on a busy clogged streets. My friends too embarrassed duck down! Thankfully the driver behind me, has seen my big red 'L'pasted on the back of the car.
-Car being bumped into by a crazy threesome on a bike from behind. Sequence of events : bump, fall off , give a crazed high on something kinda look and flee away in all of 5 seconds.
-Stuck in a traffic-jam at 2 am at night..half way across the city! Terror alert across the city forces traffic police to scan vehicles (nakkabandi) on a busy road. So its 2 hour long brake-clutch drive...
-Driving all night across the city from north to south like a homeless urchin looking for food. Bombay does need more after-12 eateries!
Those were a few excerpts of driving in the city experiences, many more to come I am sure, does seem like a roller-coaster ride every time behind the wheels (metaphorically and literally due to the potholes!), still figuring out whether its me or the city!
Credit: www.mumbaipav.com
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