The Smiles From My Shelf [10]
If you have grown up in a "third world" town, the auto rickshaws must have been a constant feature in your life. "Auto" meant the three wheeled gentle giant and everything else were mere vehicles. Right from the days on the road side window sill, taking count of the infinite stream of vehicles passing by, the tuk tuk or the 'kutu kutu' remained my eternal favourite.
We had regular run ins with 'auto pilots' once we took to roads on rented bicycles. And, yes! Those were the only powered vehicles, we had raced against and won, the cycles racing along the bumpy footpaths as the rivals got stuck in traffic on our minor roads. Again, it was an auto that I had ridden, bleeding from the head with a broken arm, in one of those early trysts with death!
The relationship with 'autos' had gone sour and tempestuous once I sat behind the wheel, learning to train a four wheeled giant to listen to me in my late teens. Even as I was dealing with disobedient combination of the wheel, clutch and brake, the unruly 'autos' used to mob me from left, right and rear not to mention that slow moving one just in front, bumper to bumper! And the 'autos' were a 'black mark' on the life on the road since then!
Matters came to a head this past week when I was driving home after a hard day at work. I was giving way to an ambulance on the right and suddenly, from out of nowhere, the 'black mark' appeared creeping past my left! Fretting and fuming, I pushed down the pedal in an attempt to overtake the offender. I had a passing glance at the rear of the rickshaw as I was about to go past it.
There it was written, in bold golden letters accompanied by a smiley..........
And I couldn't resist to check my broad grin on the rear view mirror :D
If you have grown up in a "third world" town, the auto rickshaws must have been a constant feature in your life. "Auto" meant the three wheeled gentle giant and everything else were mere vehicles. Right from the days on the road side window sill, taking count of the infinite stream of vehicles passing by, the tuk tuk or the 'kutu kutu' remained my eternal favourite.
Even James Bond trusts 'Tuk Tuk' to the Limousine to take him places in time :) [VIDEO]
With a Patron Saint in Rajini, they are often righteous and know all the routes 8-) [VIDEO]
The relationship with 'autos' had gone sour and tempestuous once I sat behind the wheel, learning to train a four wheeled giant to listen to me in my late teens. Even as I was dealing with disobedient combination of the wheel, clutch and brake, the unruly 'autos' used to mob me from left, right and rear not to mention that slow moving one just in front, bumper to bumper! And the 'autos' were a 'black mark' on the life on the road since then!
The Autopilots are often quarrelsome, with a specific dislike for the English Language ;) [VIDEO]
Matters came to a head this past week when I was driving home after a hard day at work. I was giving way to an ambulance on the right and suddenly, from out of nowhere, the 'black mark' appeared creeping past my left! Fretting and fuming, I pushed down the pedal in an attempt to overtake the offender. I had a passing glance at the rear of the rickshaw as I was about to go past it.
There it was written, in bold golden letters accompanied by a smiley..........
"Hi Abhi" :-) !!I slowed down and fell behind, in line!
And I couldn't resist to check my broad grin on the rear view mirror :D
