Being a woman driver on Indian roads is not fun. Believe me! You are judged on your competence as a driver as soon as you sit in the driver's seat. Hmph!!
My dad's favourite game is irking the feminist in me. If a car stalls in front of us or is taking an inappropriate turn, he'll turn dramatically and say slowly "Ah! Thought as much. It is a woman at the wheel". This pissed me off to no end until I invented the greatest experiment of all. I would sit eagerly in the front seat while my dad drove and as soon as a car stalled in front of us/inched along like a snail/drove past us like Satan was at their heels, I would innocently bat my eyelashes and tell him "I might be mistaken but isn't that a man driving, daddy?" I continued doing this till I drove (pun intended!) home the fact that there were just two kinds of drivers-good and bad irrespective of sex. My dad returned home a wiser man though seriously regretting allowing me to choose Feminism as an elective.
I have to admit though that being a woman driver does have its fun bits. My favourite activity every morning is to find the one macho dude who believes his fragile male superego is entirely dependent on nearly running pedestrians/cows/dogs down, honking desperately as soon as the signal turns green and zipping past every car with a disdainful look. Then I overtake him irrespective of the risk I am putting myself in. It is a stupid game. I am aware. But you should see the disbelief on his face and his biceps sagging when he realises it is a young woman who has just gone past him. It is totally worth it.
Another time, I had taken my mother shopping and the only parking spot available was in a narrow lane five minutes away from the shop. When we came out of the shop, I saw this guy on a bike who slowed down close to us and said "Hi baby, wanna come?". I told my mom to get into the car. His face looked a little unsure when he saw my blank face and when i got into the car. He started leaving. I started revving the engine, pressing the horn and flashing my headlights so fervently that the poor guy disappeared before you could say "Hi baby".
I wanted to chase him but my mother was hyperventilating already and yelling at me over the ruckus I was orchestrating. "Architha, will you stop this nonsense? Oh my dear god! Why is there is so much anger in you? Where did I go wrong bringing you up? Why did we buy you a car? You have to manage a house someday. How are you going to manage with this impatience of yours?" So that a**h*** got lucky that day and I hoped that I'd discouraged him from "Hi Baby"-ing anybody for atleast a week.
Well, Can't say driving hasn't been an adventure.
My dad's favourite game is irking the feminist in me. If a car stalls in front of us or is taking an inappropriate turn, he'll turn dramatically and say slowly "Ah! Thought as much. It is a woman at the wheel". This pissed me off to no end until I invented the greatest experiment of all. I would sit eagerly in the front seat while my dad drove and as soon as a car stalled in front of us/inched along like a snail/drove past us like Satan was at their heels, I would innocently bat my eyelashes and tell him "I might be mistaken but isn't that a man driving, daddy?" I continued doing this till I drove (pun intended!) home the fact that there were just two kinds of drivers-good and bad irrespective of sex. My dad returned home a wiser man though seriously regretting allowing me to choose Feminism as an elective.
I have to admit though that being a woman driver does have its fun bits. My favourite activity every morning is to find the one macho dude who believes his fragile male superego is entirely dependent on nearly running pedestrians/cows/dogs down, honking desperately as soon as the signal turns green and zipping past every car with a disdainful look. Then I overtake him irrespective of the risk I am putting myself in. It is a stupid game. I am aware. But you should see the disbelief on his face and his biceps sagging when he realises it is a young woman who has just gone past him. It is totally worth it.
Another time, I had taken my mother shopping and the only parking spot available was in a narrow lane five minutes away from the shop. When we came out of the shop, I saw this guy on a bike who slowed down close to us and said "Hi baby, wanna come?". I told my mom to get into the car. His face looked a little unsure when he saw my blank face and when i got into the car. He started leaving. I started revving the engine, pressing the horn and flashing my headlights so fervently that the poor guy disappeared before you could say "Hi baby".
I wanted to chase him but my mother was hyperventilating already and yelling at me over the ruckus I was orchestrating. "Architha, will you stop this nonsense? Oh my dear god! Why is there is so much anger in you? Where did I go wrong bringing you up? Why did we buy you a car? You have to manage a house someday. How are you going to manage with this impatience of yours?" So that a**h*** got lucky that day and I hoped that I'd discouraged him from "Hi Baby"-ing anybody for atleast a week.
Well, Can't say driving hasn't been an adventure.
3 comments:
hehe... I have heard that story before, i think the very day it happened :P
you know what? I think it is a Brahmin-Appa thing. My dad does the exact same thing. slow moving car=woman driver, according to him.
You write very well, and it is so characteristic of you. I can so totally hear you say every single word you have written here :)
May the words never stop..
Blissfully mindful of the fact that most of our driving hours are spent away honking impatiently and waiting for eternities to move by inches all the while cursing the burgeoning population of this crazy nation of ours, driving still is one of those few absolute pleasures in life.
And, feminist quips and dashing overtaking manoeuvres should serve to make it even more so. :)
Not that I am doubting a female's capacity to drive, but the worst driver's that I have met on roads have been females. Not only they wud zip past u so fast, but also they wud turn as of the whole road is theirs...!!
another thing that one of my cousins told me was to beware of 2 things on roads: buffalo and a female while driving, they can turn any way any time!!
so u c, ur dad wasnt all that wrong :)
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