JOIN USThe price of independence
Based on the distance of a destination, ease of accessibility or simply because of the people available in your life at a particular point in time, most of us have had various means of transportation in various stages of life. As a child, I was always a pillion rider to my dad, in his awesome and comfortable Road King or my mother’s easy-to-climb Scooty! Else it’s always been an autorickshaw within the city, public buses for outstation and, of course, the chukubuku train to Mysore!
The rainy season rides have always been adventurous in my life. One memory is at Cubbonpet while I was riding on the Scooty and got stuck in a pothole. The heavy rains, flooded the roads and my favourite sandals slipped off my foot! I even ran behind my sandals and got hold of. There were many vehicles honking at us and my dad calmly said, “Keep calm, they will figure out a way, it’s not like we have stopped deliberately!” This statement was an important lesson.
Another time, my uncle and I were getting back from an aunt’s place at the Old Airport Road and it was raining cats and dogs! The road was jam-packed. In those days HAL was the official airport for Bangalore and that night I learnt what a traffic jam meant. We didn’t have mobile phones and my parents could do nothing but reach home, with no clue what was taking us so long. I remember how angry my mother was that night.
Later in life, I rode an Activa and forgot the hassle of autorickshaws altogether! Even while hanging out with friends I would always take my Activa, very rarely has somebody else ridden my vehicle. I’ve always had control! When I was in a relationship, I was initially a pillion rider on a huge bike, and the rides always scared the hell out of me! I hated not being in control of the vehicle.
Today, after many years of driving and riding, being independent and always having transportation plans in my hands, I have come to realize that there is a price to pay.
Recently, when I was travelling to Dharmastala in a sleeper bus, I could not sleep the whole night even though I have the reputation of being a deep sleeper. I could sense everything the driver did, him applying the brakes, accelerating, the sudden moves…all this and I could not see what was in front of us.
I came to realize, not all vehicles have loose tyres like mine currently and I need to trust the drivers abilities and not worry about the job they do. More ‘dependent’ transportation is what I need, I reckon!