The thrill of the first vehicle(s) and those nostalgic first ride(s)

Driving my own SUV, I thank God for giving me more than what I asked for. Could I ever have imagined during my growing up days that not just I, but all the members in the family would have their own personal cars?

It may be common today for most middle class families to own multiple vehicles but back then in 70s, forget about a car; even owing a scooter was a big deal. I can’t forget how we waited excitedly for months together for the first scooter. (No off the shelf delivery but an advance booking of six months) .What was most remarkable was that the two-wheeler was not driven home but ‘Hamara Bajaj’ arrived mounted on a lorry. The reason: father didn’t know driving.

In early 80s when I got married, my husband was a proud owner of an old Lambretta scooter that he drove with flair. Perched on the scooter, I felt on the top of the world as I went around on rides with him. Blissfully unaware of the chipping paint and the shoddy seats of the scooter we were quite happy with our gaddi (vehicle) till the time a friend pointed out, “Don’t you think your vehicle needs a change?”

We decided to say good-bye to our trusted scooter and thought of graduating to a car. A new car was out of reach and hence began a frantic search for a second hand car. Finally a Fiat car, as good as a new, was bought for a hefty sum of sixty-five thousand rupees. So in early 80s we became a proud owner of a car that was driven home, not by my husband but a friend. I can’t really forget the first car ride when the vehicle stalled in the middle of the road causing a sort of traffic jam. Equally memorable, more like an adventure was the highway drive when we ventured out of the city for the first time. All through the journey from Chandigarh to Kapurthala, I sat alert but during the return journey was so relaxed and confident of my husband’s driving skills that I dozed off.

It was in early 90s that we replaced the good old Fiat for a brand new Maruti 800. It looked so small and fragile in comparison to the sturdy Ambassador and Fiat, queer like a soap-case running on road. I can’t help recalling an interesting episode of early Maruti days. While we were enjoying an elephant ride in Chhatbir zoo, the mahout told us that the elephant found the Maruti plying on the road so fascinating that the moment it spotted one, it started chasing it. Imagine our plight and fright to learn about the peculiar bevariour of the animal, nevertheless, remarkable that even the elephant could not resist the attractive, cute little thing.

That was almost three decades ago. Over the years we have upgraded to swanky sedans but nothing can compare with the thrill of the first two-wheeler and the first four-wheeler. Absolutely nostalgic are the memories of the first ride(s)!

(Published in HT Chandigarh Sunday Read  on 16 June 2019 )