Driving Miss Daisy

2ND JULY 2008 – 11.30 PM (Kuwait Standard Time)

Driving Miss Daisy

It would be an automatic recall, if I were to think about the days we were on the Chennai roads going around in Kinetic Honda and Honda Activa, Roxette’s Joy ride.

Oh boy…did I not enjoy those wonderful rides, whenever she was there behind me and literally cuddled me. We were transported and moving in another world altogether. Initially, I used to feel a little odd when she would clasp her arms around me…I have to say…it so grew up on me that I used to move back and always wanted to feel her ever more, more than her. The world ceased to exist for us.

Before marriage, I used to be a sober guy stuck up either at home or at most go to my friends place during weekends, chat up, eat some chats and return home. I was never the kind of venturesome guy. Absolutely, laidback and lived life on my own terms or rather lived in a dream realm of my own, which in reality would never exist.

During the early days after marriage, Vidya was at home, everything was new for her. A new home, new city, new set of folks (my parents) to live with, a different surrounding and a husband who leaves to work at 8.30 AM and would return at odd hours in the night, sometime as early as before the dawn of the next day. That’s absolutely awesome for a newly wedded wife. But then, she is one helluva different character altogether…very patient…absolutely bearing with an impertinently impatient guy. Love blossomed and grew with every passing day and night…

I had to go to office even during weekends. But in the evening I used to take her out…and like that started the journey of exploration. Scurrying through the rustle and bustle of snarling Chennai traffic, we discovered new vistas. And I just loved it…because I could spend some time in private with my exquisite lissome sweetie. It was with her that I discovered Chennai, well almost after 30 years of living in that city. And come to think of it, she knows more about her adopted city than her man who belongs to that city.

We used to plan every weekend where to go and after a point of time, we exhausted almost all places where we could go and it started of a new and more costly past time. Something, every lady would enjoy and a scourge for every man. Not for me though, since I also enjoyed shopping with her. I learnt the aspect and importance of clothing from her. Don’t you have the proverbial proverb which proclaims in Tamil “ALL PAATHI, AADAI PAATHI”

Moving around, incidentally makes you worldly wise as you tend to understand the changing culture and value systems that imbibe the city. A city after all is a representation of the people who live in that place. While some may argue that a small minority cannot influence or reflect the lifestyle of the whole populace, it is reflected in the growth of multiplexes, malls, food courts and other joints that symbolize the western culture. Especially with the onset of IT boom, life has significantly changed for the common man…and I am one of them. Yet the common man would still tread the middle path.

She got an offer with Tata Telecom, which later went on to become Avaya Global Connect and worked for about a year with them in the customer care unit. She had a good time there and made some good friends as well. Social life is equally important for an aspiring and vibrant individual. Vidya could never sit and idle at home. Her office was located at Apex plaza, near Gemini flyover.

Initially my office was located in Whites road and it was quite convenient for me since it was closer to home. But life was not to be too comfortable to my liking. Decision was taken to move finance team to the new facility that was built at Thoraipakkam. It was more than 20 Kilometers from my residence at Alwarthirunagar.

She used to travel initially by bus, but it was not an experience she would savor. Woman eating predators do exist in our society and it is a disgusting feeling when you come in contact with them. I used to drop her at her office in the morning and then take a virtual U turn to go back all the way to my office. It would be more than 25 kilometers for me one way. But then, she was happy and so was I. Evenings some days she used to come by share auto or take a bus which was not overcrowded and manage things on her own.

One year moved on and she quit her job as the company delayed in confirming her on a permanent roll. She stayed put at home but eventually got bored and started to search for a job again. After some time she got a good break with TNT. It was closer to home and the industry belonged to her. She quickly grasped everything and made good friends in office as well. As her Dad had gifted his scooter, she could drive on her own without depending either on me or the public transport.

Life became quite busy for both of us and we usually used to look eagerly for the weekends. It was the time when we could actually spend time with each other and for each other. And evenings, invariably we went out, somewhere or the other but returned by 9.00 PM. In all, it was a magnificent time cruising along with my daisy darling scorching the streets of Chennai with our loving exuberance.

#LifeinChennai