My New Passion!

It was friday afternoon. The sun was in good mood and putup a cosy climate, a good atmosphere for learning. I took the driver's seat in my dad's car for the first time... The front passenger seat had always been my favorite... but I quickly realised it is no more from now! I put my hands on the steering and felt a sudden surge of excitement within... The road lay in front of me - untouched and awaiting to be conquered, the horizon to set my limits and the sun gave a gentle glance full of grace just like a mother waiting to see her child take it's first step to walk...

My dad's car- a silver-grey maruti zen... my brother's darling too! No wonder, he was with me, sitting in my 'ex-favorite seat', making sure I donot do the slightest damage to the car... volunteering to teaching me how to drive! It was a light machine with power steering, ofcourse with so many other features and specifications which you can confidently bet I wont understand a bit!

I turned the engine on... released the hand brake... pressed the clutch and pushed the gear from neutral to first. I was further instructed to release the clutch slowly and steadily... my first lesson in driving! I released my foot from the clutch with caution... I could hear my heart beat increasing proportionally. Bingo!! Within moments the vehicle was moving! I couldnot believe I was driving it!

I started to accelerate it slowly. The road was a beauty by itself... a long and broad runway of an old airport which has been abandoned for quite a long time! With nobody around to interfere with my driving, I was ruling the entire stretch! :-) As I raised my speed, I skipped to the second gear and to the third and then to the fourth! I was literally flying on the road with a
gush of wind congratulating me every moment on my ascent to the driver's seat! At my top speed in the car, I easily imagined myself flying a plane in that airstrip!

The roads - an invariably boring part of my long journeys...
The driving - a monotonous act that restricted anyone from enjoying the nature around you while you are on the move...
The car and it's technicalities... aah! the driest subjects a person can talk on...
These were few of my esteemed views before I touched the steering! Now that I've tasted my first drive, my perspectives about the roads, the art of driving, the vehicle... everything has changed! A signature quote of one of my friends aptly flashes in my mind... "Riding there is the whole point, destination is just an excuse"

Somehow this four tyred machine started becoming so close to me. I began treating it as a companion, a friend - much more than just a machine! And that, I understood, is the basic for being a good driver! Apart from the big and small mistakes I did that day and the amazingly long, hot scoldings I got from my brother for every single fault, I still feel my crush for that car and my passion for driving it has been growing deeper and stronger!