A much awaited holiday was about to be spoilt by the death of Rajkumar. There was no way we could take the bus to Kodai. Bangalore was burning. I had just 2hrs to take a decision. It was then Opu came online and suggested that I drive the distance. 490 kms would be a 10hr drive. I flinched at the idea. And was almost preparing for the dissappointment.
Back home one look at my folks made me change my mind. It was Dad who had no qualms about driving the distance. He is always eager and never gets bogged down by eventualities. Sudeshna too was ready. He is my Dad type. Maa is ever reluctant and Mashi is the eternal fence-sitter (she doesnt have much of a choice anyways). Fortunately June still doesnt have opinions. So after some thought I decided to bite the bullet.
We were up at 3:30 am and by 4:30 we were well on our way to Kodaikanal. The roads were superb. The road atlas bought 5 years back with no thought finally came of use. We wouldnt have reached Kodai without that and the direction of Mr. Kumar (the owner of Tina Tours).
I never imagine our Alto would scream down NH-7 at 120 km an hour. It was equally smart on the highway and the hills. It never made me look like a fool though I suspected otherwise when we bought it. What's more on my way back it allowed only a Baleno and an Indiglo to get past it.
3 days on when we were back to a saner and cooler Bangalore, I didnt regret the decision.
This was the second time Opu coaxed me on. The first time I drove his Opel from Mumbai to Pune with June, Mashi and Mun. It may seem like no big deal but for a reluctant driver it was a huge mental block. The best thing now is that I am starting to enjoy these long drives.
Thanks Opu for egging me on.. Waiting to see what more tricks you have in your bag.
Here are some photos of our Alto during its sojourn in Kodai
Mashi & June with the Black Beauty in background
Some of the frequent avoidable breaks (thanks to our Alto)
Black beauty resting area in Kodai infront of our (ITC's) guest house
Finally, the Black Beauty and her driver
11 comments:
good good..u seem to be on the road to becoming one of those guys who have names for their cars and talk to them while driving...read king's Christine..that will bring u down in a thud..anyways, be ready for one more in june..i am coming down.
As for u till u set foot on a city no one knows for sure. So first take the flight and once I see in the arrival terminal we can then discuss trips....
abey i have applied for a training in blore..12-14 june. i will take 2 days off and stay the weekend. blog ki kasam.
dear kaushik,i hv just finished reading 'how opal mehta got kissed,got wild..'by kaavya today.although it has been banned for plagiarism,i found the book quite interesting and most of all... relevent. specially coming from someone who is only eighteen years old!Actually its a must read for all young parents.
kaushik,have u ever been bitten by the writing bug(in any stage of yr life)which gave you the feeling that you should write a book?
To be frank, YES.
my writinb bug bit me when i read that the 'London Call Girl' blog got a 500k GBP advance from a publisher. thats when i started my blog.
stop dreaming boy.there is not a single dime advance for 'call boys'in india.
i will take yr word for it..since u sound so sure u must be speaking from personal experience 'boy'
Got going guys (In this age it is not even clear whether RIP is a guy with Identify hidden).
But Good!
ofcourse i hv personal experience!YOU r my personal experience brother.how much advance did YOU get??
just kidding man,f...the money, i get a much better feeling interacting with likeminded people (even YOU are included shuv.)
hi kaushik,would you like it more if RIP is a girl?you know...snow white..red riding hood..rapunzel...ha!ha!
Rip: Yeah, ofcourse it would interesting.. Why not? Arent my hormones in the right place and doing the right things..
Post a Comment