The Story Begins
One morning in March 2007, 7 year old me woke up, feeling cold and sneezing as always. After getting yelled at for getting back into bed and begrudgingly dressing up and eating breakfast, I went downstairs with my water bottle hanging around my neck, expecting to get into our Bolero to be dropped off at school. The boxy Indian G Class. Instead, I saw a shiny new black vehicle, with plastic wrapped seats and a proud Carryman mounted in the front. It was the vehicle from the TV ads. The All New Mahindra Scorpio, that could 'Out-speed a Helicopter' while looking super badass. No time to admire though, had to get to school and see what toy Sohil brought that day....After a scary, scary ride to school on dad's RX-100, getting back in the evening I still couldn't find Bolero in the porch. Ah, dad's standing there doing business and business things while looking very busy. I was quite cross after being rudely informed that Bolero was sold and we got the cool car from the ad, without my consent!
After hogging some Maggi , I settled on the couch to watch some Doraemon. There was the ad again, the cool dude, out-speeding a Heli in a Mahindra Scorpio…Not that I found it cool though. I was still quite cross, Bolero was gone and now some fancy jeep with only two seats in front had taken its spot! It didn’t even have a spare wheel mounted on its tailgate….
Tuition Kid
Straight out of boarding school, all pumped about the few barely visible hairs on my chin, I imagine myself doing donuts in a '69 Mustang after watching Jeremy Clarkson yell POWERRRRRR on Top Gear. My perverted fantasies are broken by a loud angry Scorpio approaching....Finally time to get home from tuition, been standing on the road star gazing for a while now. On the ride home, I wondered how long it would be before I could drive...
The Attempt
After reading watching our bus driver shift gears since 2nd grade and a few very risky public lessons from him, I was confident that I knew everything that there was to know about driving. After I had read internet posts, discussed the same with my equally stupid friends, taken every excuse to start our cars and move them in and out of the garage. I *very subtly* protested that I was ready to drive. Dad had 'business ' to attend to and merely told me to wait till I became old enough. And so, it was my brave mom who finally agreed to mentor me. There was no turning back.
LMV MCWG
I drove into the Ooty RTO compound in our Scorpio. Some 15 minutes later, I could now officially drive on public roads. I looked around, watched people in their slightly less elevated vehicles and stepped on the pedal. Like every other teenager I wanted speed but, this was a different feeling. This vehicle felt like an Angry Raging Bull. Starting it up felt like a beast awakening, shaking everyone and everything inside absorbing the noise and impact. As I drove on the mountain roads of Ooty, the vehicle roared and went over roads, paved unpaved and what not like it was nothing. In these beautiful roads, filled with adrenaline from not rolling over in a corner and falling off a cliff, I was addicted…and have been since. My source of all arrogance and confidence on the road.
