Confessions of a Workaholic

Let me tell you a story about (no prizes for guessing this one, the title is a give-away!) a self-confessed “Workaholic”. So our workaholic stays miles away from her parents, who mean the world to her. It breaks her heart not to be with them often, but she loves her job (or so she thinks, when in fact it’s not love but an obsession). So one long weekend, she decides to go home to be with her family. She was up early that morning for her work and she was working all throughout the day, attending phone calls, answering e-mails, doing inspections, travelling, just like any other day at work, but she still made sure that she reached the railway station an hour in advance to board the train that would take her home. Being the perfectionist that she is, she just could not stand the thought of being late for a train, worse still, missing it. So there she was, checking the display board, though she knew the exact platform on which the train always comes (perfectionists are always in need of reassurance!). She reached the platform for the train. A train was there at the platform to her surprise, as that train should have ideally left by then. Since it wasn’t her train, she just ignored it and found herself a nice bench, kept her luggage aside and sat on the bench absorbing the sights and the sounds of the railway station.

She was going home after a very long time, more than a month had passed since she last went home. What would anyone be feeling at that time – happiness, anticipation, excitement, pretty much all the emotions that one normally associates with going home, right? However our protagonist is different (or outright stupid?). She is lost in thoughts. No, it wasn’t about her parents back home who were eagerly waiting for their daughter to come home. She was lost in thoughts about her day at work – the things that were not in place at work, how she could bring about a difference, what had to be done to make things better, the way she wanted it. She glanced at her watch, there was almost an hour left for her train to arrive. She thought, why not get some work done during this one hour and opened her laptop. As it usually happens with her when she opens her laptop for work, she got drawn into the world of work created by Microsoft Office – MS Outlook and Excel luring her away from the hustle and bustle of the railway station to the world of emails, excels and data. She could see people around her – passengers and tea/coffee vendors, she could hear their noises and the announcements on the railway PAS, but she was neither observing nor listening. All she could think of, was her work. She had turned that bench on the platform into a mini workstation for herself. She remained absorbed in her work, her phone and laptop, when suddenly she got a call on her phone.
 

It was her mother who was on the phone. Suddenly the virtual workplace gave way to a very silent platform, she could see that the train on the platform was gone, the hustle and bustle of passengers and vendors was not there anymore and there were no announcements on the PAS either. She answered the phone, her mother was enquiring if she boarded the train and whether the train was on time. She looked at her watch, it was half an hour past the scheduled departure time of the train. She had totally lost track of time, more than an hour had passed since she had arrived at the station. She answered that the train hadn’t arrived yet and she was still waiting for it. However, she realized that something was not right, she got up from the bench and looked around; the platform was isolated. She told her mother that she would go to the enquiry and find out. She disconnected the call, closed her laptop, put it back in her bag and walked to the enquiry. All the while, she could sense that something was terribly wrong, she hurried past and first looked at the display boards. No, the name of her train was not being displayed. The first shock. She went to the enquiry, asked the officer about the status of her train. He said that it arrived right on time and left the station thirty minutes ago. The second shock, and this one hurt her real bad. She said that it was not possible, as she had been waiting in that platform for more than an hour and the train had not passed by. The officer was also quite baffled, he checked with another officer, who told him that today the train arrived at a different platform and it was announced several times over the PAS that the train was arriving on the other platform. She just could not believe her ears. She had missed the train, even after having reached the station an hour in advance, even after being on the correct platform (at least as per the display board!). Her phone was ringing, it was her mother who was calling, she didn’t know what to tell her, her parents had been waiting for her to come home and it would break their hearts to know that she had missed the train and would not be coming home, all because she couldn’t give work a break even for an hour. Her eyes were welling up and her voice was choking as she answered the call and told her mother that she had missed the train. She could sense the disappointment in her mother’s voice and she just couldn’t bear it. When the call was over, she looked at her phone, her official WhatsApp group was abuzz, new mail notifications kept coming, but none of that made sense to her anymore. For the first time in her life, she realized that maybe she made a great worker at the workplace, but she sure was a failure as a daughter. The tears that she had been holding back for long found their vent, she cried her heart out that day.

 

So, that’s the story of the workaholic who missed a train, because of her dedication to work? No, because she was so obsessed with her work that she could not even take note of what was happening around her. It serves as a good lesson for (a) how not to miss a train and (b) how not drawing boundaries between work and personal life can get one in deep trouble. Well, what do you feel for the protagonist – do you feel sorry for her or do you feel that she was outright stupid, well you can definitely let me know in your comments, because the protagonist happens to be me. Yes, I will probably go down in history as the first person to have missed a train even after having reached the station an hour in advance! It is not something I am proud of and there is a very high chance that I am probably the only one to have accomplished such a feat.  

I have always taken a lot of pride in being a “Daddy’s girl”. He is to me the epitome of hard work, honesty, dedication and utmost sincerity to work. I imbibed almost all his characteristics including his dedication to work. From the time I started working, I remember I had been extremely attached to work, however off-late, I feel like I maybe overdoing it, a little bit (or a lot?). I feel like I maybe crossing that fine line that separates dedication from obsession. The first real shock had been the train incident. It was an incident that made me feel that, while I was doing my duty as an officer, I may have forgotten my duties and responsibilities as a daughter. Even while going home to meet my parents (after a long time), all I could think of was work and not about how I can make the most of my time at home with my parents. The second shock came just a few weeks later. I was in an ATM to withdraw some money, I had entered the PIN and the amount to withdraw and was waiting for the cash to come out of the machine, when my phone rang. It was a call from office. I was talking on the phone while I was inside the ATM, I took the receipt and my card and walked out of the ATM, all the while I was still on the call. I got into my car and disconnected the call and drove off. After driving for a distance, I realized that something was wrong. I stopped the car and checked my wallet. The card was there, the receipt was there, but there was no cash. I had collected the card and the receipt from the ATM, but I had not taken the money. I couldn’t wait for a U-turn, hence I parked my car and ran back to the ATM, but there was no money there. I had lost the money. The second shock! I will probably be the first and the only one to have accomplished this feat too! It took me a while to recover from this second shock, but I took a vow that day, that I will never use my phone while I am in an ATM. Several days passed, before I got the third shock. I wanted to go to the railway station one day and I decided to take an auto. I got into the auto and when the driver asked me where I wanted to go, I said “Trichy Area Office”, which by the way is the name of my office. The driver was shocked, so was I. “Railway station please, I am sorry”, I said and sat there thinking what was happening to me.
 

I have always wondered why some people are the way I am, why is it that some people are attached to work to the point that it becomes an obsession for them, but I have not been able to find any convincing answer to that. Guess, some people are hard-wired like that and they just cannot change it. Such people get lot of accolades at work for their hard-work and dedication, but there are colleagues who just cannot stand the sight of them. It’s no wonder that such people are almost always isolated at work. Most often, they are isolated by their friends and family too, as they are mostly unable to take time out of work for them. They have to deal with isolation outside of work also! They find solace in work and hence immerse themselves even more deeply in work. But it’s only when someday, like me, they miss a train, they will realize, that they are missing out on a lot of things in life.

It took me a missed train to realize that there is more to life than just my job. Yes, my job was an integral part of my life, something that made me proud about myself, something that gave me great joy. But the joy and satisfaction that I got from  my job would all be meaningless if I couldn’t share that joy with the ones who mattered the most in my life, the ones who loved me and cared for me, even when I hardly knew what a job meant. It would be meaningless, if I could not take time out to pursue my other interests in life like writing, travelling and music or I couldn’t take time out to read a book or watch a movie, things that made me happy.  Yes, I loved my job very much, but it could never complete me. My family, my friends, my passions, they were all necessary to complete me. I would be upset, but I would never cry over a bad appraisal, but I did cry over a missed train and at the thought of not been able to be home with my family. A reprimand from my boss would hurt, but not as much as the slightest change of tone in my parent’s voice when they disapprove of something that I did. No amount of appreciation or accolades at work would parallel the “We are proud of you” from my parents. No appraisal or pay hike can beat the happiness that I get when my Mother tells me that I am the best. As an officer, I get to make a difference in the lives of many people of my country on a daily basis and it gives me immense pride and satisfaction, but I get an almost similar satisfaction when what I write makes someone feel better, makes someone smile or makes someone think. I love making power point presentations as much as I love watching movies. Learning something new at work excites me as much as travelling to a place that I have never been to. I knew that I had to draw a line between my work and my personal life, but where do I begin? It was a very difficult task.
 

After much thought, I have now come to terms with the fact that work will always be a part of my life, a priority which will get my undivided attention and devotion when I am at it, but I have also made up my mind that, I will never let work keep me away from the other things that matter to me like my family, my friends and my passions. As they say, “You only live once”. The train of life comes just once, and if you miss it, you miss out on a very beautiful journey. The beauty of the journey is in the people who you share the ride with. The joy of having reached the destination is only when you know that the very people are still with you when you arrive. So here is to all those are working away on their laptops and mobiles, who are too busy running the rat-race of life – Pause, take a break, call up your parents or teachers or that old friend of yours, whom you haven’t spoken to in a while, go watch that new movie starring your favourite actor, renew that old passion that you had back in college, or go backpacking, do all that you want to do “NOW, RIGHT NOW”, before it is too late, before you realize that you’ve missed the train!

P.S: Thanks to Premium Tatkal, I made it home one day after the day I missed the train; off course the long weekend became a short weekend by then, but I still made it up to my parents. In life however, there are no "Pemium Tatkals" that can save us, so, all I want to tell all workaholics out there is, "Don't miss that train!" :-)  

Equations for life from 'The Gita': Misery and Attachment

The Bhagvad Gita and Mathematics make a great combination. Combine the lessons from the book and some simple maths, and you get equations that can change your entire perspective towards life. In the first post of the series - Equations for life from 'The Gita', we looked at the formula for happiness. Here is presenting the second post in the series, which is about the relationship between 'Misery' and 'Attachment'.

 

 

What does everyone dread meeting the most in their pursuit of happiness – sorrow, sadness, misery? The Bhagvad Gita not only gives us lessons on how to lead a happy life, but it also teaches us ways to avoid misery in life. Just as the formula for happiness is simple, the formula for misery is also simple. Well, none of us want to be miserable in life, do we? Then, look no further than the below formula for leading a life without misery.

 

 

If one does a Root Cause Analysis of all things that makes life miserable, one will find that at the root of all that misery and sorrow will be "attachment". When one is attached to things, their absence disturbs them and that in turn leads to frustration and eventually sorrow and misery.

 

In our lives, we often tend to get closely attached to certain things. Let's take an example, work for instance. On the one end of the spectrum, we have self-proclaimed “workaholics” who are obsessed with work, and at the other end of the spectrum we have those who totally detest working, often because they are attached to lethargy or laziness. If we look at the lives of people from both ends of the spectrum, we can find that the lives of both are equally miserable.  Too much attachment to work often wears people out, they miss out on other things in life like following their passion, making time for themselves or their families, in a nutshell, the life of "workaholics" is quite miserable. Those who don’t like working, always complain about having to work, crib often about their work, office, colleagues, bosses, so on and so forth, and derive no happiness in work, the end result - a miserable life! Whereas if you look at those in the middle of the spectrum, those people who neither detest working nor obsess about it, they will mostly be the happiest lot of all. The 'funda' is actually quite simple, wherever there is attachment, there is fear and expectations - fear of losing out on something, and expectations of a reward or benefit, so when we lose that something or when our expectations fail, we just cannot take it.

 

Take anything materialistic, say, food, smoking, alcohol, drugs, money, power, success, pretty much anything under the sun, when one is attached to them, one’s life becomes miserable. It’s just not restricted to materialistic things, too much attachment to habits, people, places – all of it leads to misery. The key is to find a right balance, the right amount of attachment and detachment.

 

The perfect state that one can aspire for, is similar to that of a water drop on a lotus leaf; the drop is very much there, yet it is totally unattached. That’s the best approach to lead life. The less attached we are to things, the less is our misery. Detachment is the key, and anyone who has learnt to master the art of total detachment, is never miserable in life. Well, the sate of complete detachment is something which will take a lot of self-control and practice to master, but it is a state which is worth aspiring for, if one wants to lead a life free of misery. However until we reach that ideal state, it is best to have minimal attachment to things in life – both materialistic and non-materialistic. There is a proverb in Malayalam, which captures this very well – “Adhikamayal Amruthum Visham", which roughly translates to, “In excess quantities even nectar can be poisonous”, in English. Everything is good, provided it is within limits, even attachment too. The lower your attachment, the lower is your misery, and the more your happiness. Sometimes in life, it’s as they say, “Less is more”.

So on this  auspicious occasion of Dussehra, here is wishing everyone a joyful life, completely devoid of misery; let's burn the 'Raavan' of 'Misery' and welcome happiness in our lives, and now you know the formulas that can make it happen!

 

Equations for life from 'The Gita': Happiness

The ‘Bhagvad Gita’, which roughly translates to the “The Song of God” is a Hindu scripture which is a part of the epic ‘Mahabharata’, and is a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The conversation is about Arjuna’s dilemma as to whether to fight the battle of righteousness or to give up, as fighting would mean hurting his own kith and kin even though they had done Arjuna and his family wrong, and how Lord Krishna helps Arjuna overcome the dilemma, by teaching him about ‘Karma’ and other great truths of life. Though it is a Hindu scripture, The Bhagvad Gita has a very universal appeal. Its situations, its lessons, they apply to anyone, anywhere in the world, to people from all walks of life. The lessons from Bhagvad Gita are not just for life, they can even be applied to Management and Business as well, which is why many great leaders often vouch that they use the lessons from Bhagvad Gita in their professional life to do better at work, to lead, and to motivate their teams.  

 

It is a book that I always go to when I need clarity in life. Recently, it occurred to me, The Bhagvad Gita and Mathematics make a great combination. Firstly, the book is full of solutions; for all problems in life. Secondly, if you apply a little maths to the lessons from it, you can get equations that can change your entire perspective towards life. It was my inspiration to start this series on “Equations for life from ‘The Gita’”.

Here is presenting the very first equation in the series.

It’s strange that a formula for Happiness could be this simple. All of us are in some way or the other searching for happiness, but very few actually find happiness, why? The answer lies in the equation. We often have huge expectations from people and situations in life, but when things do not turn out as we expect, we tend to get disappointed. People with too many expectations are almost always unhappy about life, whereas, someone who has very less expectations, is almost always happy.

From the equation for happiness, it is very clear that happiness and expectations are inversely proportional to each other. The less you expect from life, the happier you are. Hence, the key to bliss or infinite happiness is having nil expectations as Zero Expectations = Infinite Happiness! Well, having no expectations at all is a very ideal situation to wish for. In the fast paced lives that we lead, in this highly competitive world that we live in, it is quite difficult to reach this state of "Zero Expectations".

Almost everything we do in life, we do expecting something in return, isn't it? If you are working, you work hard at office, expecting a good rating in appraisals or a good pay hike. If you are a student, you study hard, expecting good grades, maybe even a rank. But what happens when things do not work out as planned. What if despite your efforts, you do not get a good rating, or you do not get good grades, would you not be disappointed? The answer is a big emphatic "Yes". Think about a scenario in which you work hard, but you do so without any expectations of a result. In that scenario would you be disappointed, if you did not get a good result, definitely not. You were not expecting anything in the first place, so there is no room for disappointment. If the result is good, you will be pleasantly surprised, if not, you will be happy that you tried your best, but this is how the result turned out to be, you accept it and continue to do your work without any regrets. I know, it does sound too good to be true, but trust me, I can vouch from my personal experience that this approach works wonders in life. When one does something without expecting anything in return, one is always happy. I agree, it is difficult to adopt this ideology overnight, but slowly, consciously if we start doing small things in this way, one day we can reach a stage where we do things without any expectations at all, and find a way to be truly happy. Start by doing something very simple, like helping someone who you know can never return your favour and Oh, that feeling, what can I say, it is bliss!

In one’s pursuit of happiness, all that matters ultimately is if one finds happiness or not. If sacrificing something as unnecessary as expectations can get one there, then I think it is worth the sacrifice, after all what good has ever come of expectations, nothing! Expectations can only give rise to frustration and unhappiness. So the choice is in one's hand - happiness or expectations. The formula is very simple, all you need to do is decide, what do you want to let go of, so choose wisely!
 

p(F)un Intended: "Game of Roads: The Lord of 'Bright' Lights"

Letters: A letter to all my young sisters

Recently, I celebrated my mother's sixtieth birthday. I didn't leave any stone unturned to make the day special for her, got her a beautiful cream and red  (my mother's favourite colour combination) coloured Kanchipuram Silk Saree,  (which by the way I had zeroed in on, after hours of looking at practically every available saree in the 'Nalli' silks store at Chennai, and much to the relief of the salesperson at the store who wished she never had to attend to a customer like me, anytime in the near future!), took her to the temple, went out for dinner, ordered all her favourites, basically did all the things that make her happy. However, I still felt that something was amiss. I got thinking, everything that I had done would have made her happy, but I knew that her true happiness was not in any of these materialistic things. What could I do to make her really happy? She loves it, when I write, because she knows that writing makes me extremely happy. So, on her birthday, I decided that I will take writing a little more seriously, devote more time to it, than I usually used to (it is hard balancing a physically and mentally demanding job and one's passion, but I realized that it was not impossible!). That's when this idea struck me. Of starting a series of blogs on "Letters". I have always believed that, words that are straight from one's heart always touch another's, and what better way to express one's feelings and thoughts than a 'letter'. So here is presenting the very first blog post in the series, one that I dedicate to my mother, as she has been the inspiration behind this one.

 

A Letter to all my young sisters:  

 

My dear young sisters,

 

Let me begin by telling you that you are special. Though, there will be many who will try to tell you otherwise, believe me when I say that. You may not realize it straightaway, but as you grow up, you will understand why. You may not have it as easy as your brothers, but you will still overcome all odds and make it on your own, but for that you must believe that you are special. 

 

 

You may grow up listening to, or reading fairy tales, stories of princesses waiting for their "Prince Charming"s, or damsels in distress waiting to be rescued by some "Knight in Shining Armour". But these are tales, these are stories that are a figment of someone's imagination, they are not real, hence don't let these stories make you believe that every girl is a "Damsel in Distress" and needs a "Prince Charming" or a "Knight in Shining Armour" to save her or rescue her. Do not let these stories make you believe that the very purpose of your life is to have an ending that says, "The prince and the princess lived happily ever after". There is more to life than that. Know that you are not weak or inferior. Know that you do not need any "Prince" to help you, when you have it in you to be your own "Prince" and your own "Knight". You only have to believe. Leave fairy tales for bedtime, but for all other times, read stories of real woman who have made their mark in the world, on their own; let their stories be your guiding light, and let them be your 'Sheroes'.

To be your own "Hero", you will have to make yourself strong and independent. For that you must learn, as much as you can, by that I do not mean just earning many degrees. Yes, earning degrees is very important, but equally important is reading as much as you can and travelling as much as you can, it will eventually help you develop a broad outlook towards life. You must  also learn to find a means to take care of yourselves and your loved ones too, financially. You must learn to be your own financial and emotional anchor. Someday, you will start your own family, who will look up to you when they need you, someday you will have to be their anchors too.

There will come several times in your life, when others will try to let you down, when they will make remarks that hurt you, that demean you, there may be moments that bring you to tears, but let not their remarks or your tears, slow you or stop you, you were born to fly, and fly you will, above them all. There will be times when you feel that the world around you is not safe for you, but do not let that define your boundaries, do not let fear confine you, go the distance, make your mark in the world, be brave.

There will be people who will force you into believing that a woman has to get married to survive in this world. Do not let them misguide you. Get married, only when you want to, not because you have to. Get married, only when you find the person who is worthy of your time, who is worthy of spending a lifetime with. Remember that, the one who you marry will be the first man in your daughter's life. He will be your daughter's 'Hero', the concept of how an ideal man should be. Do not let her down. 

A very large part of what I am today, is because of two people, who are the wind beneath my wings, my father and my mother. My father, is my superhero, my first love, my role model for all good virtues in a human being. He is the one who gave me the freedom to follow my dreams, who always motivated me to be honest, sincere and hardworking, and to be fearless and independent. My mother is an inspiration to me as to how an ideal woman should be - independent, bold,  and strong, but at the same time, affectionate, empathetic and kind. After my parents, the ones who have had the greatest influence on me are my teachers. From school to engineering college to B-School, teachers have played an important role in making me what I am today. If at home, my parents were my guiding light, outside home, my teachers were my guiding light. Had it not been for their guidance, support and inspiration, I would not have become half the person that I am today. 

Remember, my dear little sisters, in your life too you will come across people who will be your guiding light, who will show you the right way, it can be your parents, your teachers, your elders. Remember to hold them close and never let them down. Just like they showed you the way when it was dark, be with them when they need you, do not let go. The best gift you can give them, sometimes could be your mere presence. 

Someday, many years later, when you are old, and you are at home, relaxing on a chair, perhaps watching your grand children play, and you look back at life, you will realize that your journey had been tough, but you still made it, despite all odds, and that you don't have the slightest hatred for those who tried to pull you down or who made the journey tough for you, but you only have love for  them and all those who are around you; on that day my dear little ones, you will realize, that you are truly special, because no one can love, forgive and care like a woman. Being a woman is special, you may not realize it now, but someday you will, and trust me, it is a beautiful feeling. 

Love, 
R.J  

 

A city, a train and a million dreams

"Kochi payazha kochiyalla", an iconic dialogue from the Malayalam movie 'Big B', starring actor Mammotty, which roughly translates to 'Kochi is no longer the place that it once used to be', has been the sentence on all Kochiites lips, over the past few days. As a true blue Kochiite, I can't agree more. Kochi has changed rapidly over the years, but the love we Kochiites have for our city, it hasn't changed a bit, or wait, maybe it has changed, it has increased with time. Kochi is a beautiful amalgamation of the best of both worlds - past and present. From the lanes of Fort Kochi where history sleeps, to the hustle and bustle of the third largest shopping mall in India - Lulu International Shopping Mall, to the ever expanding list of I.T companies in Infopark, Kakkanad, Kochi boasts of a very rich past and a very promising future. The best part of Kochi is that even in the midst of all the development, it is as beautiful, maybe even more beautiful than it used to be - its backwaters, its beaches, its parks, endearing sights all of them. Every year, the list of things that endear the city to its inhabitants has been growing bigger and bigger, and now, there is a new addition to the list, one which towers over all the items in the list, one which we had been waiting for long, one that became a reality just a day back and one which is there to stay forever - The 'Kochi Metro'.

It maybe just another "Metro" rail service for others, but for Keralites, especially Kochiites, it is a matter of pride, it is a feeling of being at par with the best in the country, it is a hope for a far better and beautiful future for the next generations to come. The inauguration of 'Kochi Metro' yesterday, was the culmination of the efforts of a dedicated team of professionals under the guidance of the 'Metro Man' Dr. E. Sreedharan himself. It was the result of a lot of support from the state and central government over the years. It was also the result of a lot of good wishes from the people of Kochi, who had to bear with a lot of difficulties, over the last three years due to the construction of the metro - traffic congestion, road diversions, dust from the construction site to name a few. Then there were some who made the biggest sacrifice for the sake of the development of the city, that of giving up their land, their homes, their shops, their jobs to make way for the new metro rail service, the unsung heroes of the 'Kochi Metro'. Last but not the least, our brothers from across the Kerala border, who worked day in and day out to make the dream of a million Keralites a reality, migrant labourers from across various states of India.

As the 'Kochi Metro' made its first official run yesterday with the Hon'ble PM of India onboard, my father and I, we waited near Edapally station to get a glimpse of history in the making, as did so many other Kochiites, some live, some over the T.V. It is a moment that will remain etched in our minds forever. I have always believed that life is all about moments, and this moment is one that I will keep tucked away, safely in my heart, all my life - that wait, that awe on seeing the Metro train for the first time, that pride of seeing my city join the ranks of a metro, the joy of witnessing one of the most defining moments in the history of my city, and the gratitude that filled my heart of being a native of the truly majestic and beautiful 'Queen of the Arabian Sea' - undoubtedly one of the best places to live in, not just in India, but the whole world. Love you Kochi for all that you are, and for all that you will be.

New kid on the "Road"

When I was young, me and my brother, we used to watch this series called 'Knight Rider' on Doordarshan. Most eighties kids would be familiar with the series. The series was about a hero who fights off evil with the help of his trusted companion KITT which is a supercar with artificial intelligence, and Oh boy that car could do some pretty amazing stuff! I guess my love affair with vehicles started in those days; every night after watching the series I used to go to bed wondering how it would be to drive home a car like that someday. I am sure, most eighties kids who were addicted to the series would have dreamt of owning a car like KITT someday. The series went off-air after a while, however by that time, the seeds of love for cars had been sown in my mind, and that love affair just grew stronger and stronger with age. But when I grew up, I did move onto more realistic dreams; from supercars that could talk, I moved on to 'value for money' cars that could go the maximum distance before the next top-up.

As time passed by, two cars made their way into our family. I used to thoroughly enjoy the car rides, up until a few months back, when I was sitting comfortably in the co-passenger's seat and my father was driving. But, the last three months have found me in the driver's seat and I can say beyond doubt that I still enjoy the rides, however the experience is not the same. With the transition from co-passenger to driver, my perspective towards driving has undergone a sea change. Though it has only been a few months since I started driving, I feel like I have lots to tell, about driving, the lessons I learnt from it, and mostly about the different kinds of people I have met on the road while driving, and whom I would like to refer to as "Cartoons", because each of them is unique and their actions resemble, and in many ways are way funnier than the cartoon characters that we are all familiar with. So here is presenting my list of "Cartoons on the road".

'The lefties': Some people take the "Keep left" rule in driving a little too seriously, that even while overtaking they overtake only from the left. Even if there is room to the right side of a vehicle to park an elephant, these people derive great joy in overtaking through the left. The best of the lot are the ones who will overtake through the left only when the vehicle in front has turned the left indicator on, pure genius!

'The desi James Bonds': These cartoons can mostly be found driving big vehicles - buses, trucks, lorries, trailers, etc. They like to think of themselves as "James Bond" and the rest of the people on the road better watch out for them, as we all know 007 has the 'licence to kill'. These cartoons drive in such a way that they can even put Ian Fleming's iconic character also to shame. A word of advice for those who happen to be in the way of these 'Desi James Bonds', stay far away from them and never ever commit the mistake of trying to pick up a race with them, better safe than sorry! They also have a bit of "Hulk" in them, so you will definitely not like them when they are angry, it is also better to never pick up a fight with them, ever!

'Jai-Veerus of the road': When Amitabh Bachan and Dharmendra performed the 'Yeh dosti' song of the movie 'Sholay', they would not have imagined that, it was to later on spark off a lot of 'Jai-Veeru' pairs on the road doing their own version of 'Yeh dosti' on the road. If the duo had done it on a single motorbike with three wheels, todays 'Jai-Veeru' pairs do it on two motorcycles, that's the difference. I have not understood the logic behind using the road as a venue and driving as a medium for having long drawn conversations, maybe NDTV can think of a new show in this concept and call it 'Ride the Talk'. The best part of these 'Jai-Veeru' pairs is that they do not give a damn about anyone else on the road or the incessant honking of vehicles behind them or the ones approaching them from the opposite direction, they continue to be in their "In-conversation" mode, after all "Thodenge dam magar saath na chodenge", right?

'The free-left pranksters': Whoever coined the term 'Free Left', should have thought of a much more better term for that, because some people tend to take those 'Free Lefts' a little too freely. You are driving peacefully on a straight road and then suddenly out of nowhere these 'Free Left pranksters' come on to the road and give you the shock of your life, no wonder these cartoons always reminds me of my time as a kid, when I used to hide in the darkness waiting for someone to come my way and then suddenly leap out of the darkness to scare them. It is 'Karma', I guess, these cartoons have now given me more scares than the number of times I've pulled that 'leaping out of the dark' prank on someone!

'The bright torch bearers of social service': Whoever said everyone on the road is bad, we have shining examples of people who show exemplary levels of selfless service. Poor lighting on the road, don't worry, if you have these cartoons on the road, they will illuminate the road all the way with the high beams on their vehicles, and in such a way that you can hardly find out where the road is, where your vehicle is, or where other vehicles are. They often have such a big heart that they just refuse to turn off the high beam even when they are on roads where it is not required, they feel like doing social service there also. Thanks to these cartoons, my faith in God has increased, like a zillion times, because a large part of my night journeys are in state of partial to complete blindness, courtesy their social service, but I have still managed to make it back safe and sound all the time. It is all thanks to the prayers of two people back home, my parents, who are all prayers right from the time I first turn on the ignition of my car in the morning to the time I last turn it off in the night. God is great, but I just wish He infused some, at least a wee bit of common sense into the brains of these cartoons.

'Lalettan on a bike': To those of you who don't know 'Lalettan', a very quick intro, Malayalam film star Mohanlal (a superstar, a complete actor, the best actor in all of India, in all of the world, I can go on and on, we Keralites will run out of words to describe him) is very fondly called as 'Lalettan' by his fans in Kerala. Lalettan has a trademark side slant which we Keralites have now come to associate with him and which is widely used my mimics to imitate him. While driving, I have seen many people on bikes with that side slant, and initially I used to think why on earth are these people imitating 'Lalettan', that too while driving a bike, but later on when I started watching them closely I realized that the side slant was because, they were balancing that tiny little object that people just can't do without nowadays - mobile phones, between their face and their shoulders. The way they talk and ride, without the least bother about anything else in the world, sometimes makes me wonder if they are bigger celebrities than 'Lalettan' himself, that they cannot wait till they reach their destination to return a call or maybe pull over by the side of the road to make the call.

'The peeping toms': If you are a lady and that too a beginner, who is learning to drive with that prominent "L" sticker on your vehicle, it is very likely that you have come across this cartoon at least once while driving. I have come across them many a times. When you are a beginner, it is a given that you drive slowly and very carefully, which irks the veterans on the road who are trying to overtake you, but by the time you are able to give them space to overtake your vehicle, they turn into Mr/Ms Peeping Toms. Oh, they give you that look, that eternal stare, which I have never been able to decipher. Are they trying to say "What on earth do you think are you doing" or "Stay out of my way, you loser" or "Who gave you the licence to drive", well I am yet to figure that one out, but these 'Peeping Toms' can give you the creeps, at times. There are times, when their stares have got so long and irksome, that I wanted to pull down my car windows and tell them, "Dear Mr/Ms. Peeping Tom, just in case you didn't know, the road is in front of you, not inside my car". 

'Local brand ambassadors of Fevicol': There are different variants for these cartoons, but all of them have one common factor in them, the 'Lage Raho' factor. Be it the owner of the vehicle parked bang in the middle of the road, and who disappears only to reappear after what seems like an eternity, or that family of three, four, five, I think I have seen upto six members, on a bike riding comfortably on the road, even as onlookers get scared that one member might just fall off the bike, these cartoons can very well be brand ambassadors for 'Fevicol'. As a kid, I used to be all awe-struck when I used to see those motorbike stunts in the 'Republic Day Parade', well now I get to see equally amazing motorbike stunts by very common people everyday on the road (no offence to the brave armed forces officers who do the R-Day parade stunts, I totally adore their performance). It is no wonder that ISRO created a record by launching the highest number of satellites in one go, we Indians are born with this ability to pack more than what can be packed into a given space, it is in our DNA, I guess! (by the way, mighty proud of you ISRO, way to go!)

'The enlightened ones': Driving mirrors are for lesser mortals, but for those who have achieved enlightenment, of what use are mirrors anyway, as they have eyes and ears in all directions, they can see even without seeing, and hear without listening. While driving, I have come across many such enlightened souls, some on bikes that do not have either of the rear-view mirrors, some on cars that do not have any side mirrors. For someone like me, who feels that even three mirrors aren't good enough, these enlightened beings are ones who are worth worshipping. They command a lot of respect, hence I always make it a point to maintain a very safe distance from these beings. The only problem with these enlightened people are that, they expect others also to be equally enlightened as they are, and they hardly use indicators or horns (mostly their vehicles lack them also in addition to the mirrors) , can't really blame them, can we, because they think that others can read their minds and will follow suit. A word of advice if you happen to meet these cartoons on the road, "Give a lot of respect and stay away from them as far as possible, who knows you might also get enlightened by being in their vicinity".

'Stealth mode lovers': Some people like to look at driving as waging a war, which could be the only reason why they refuse to use any sort of lights, be it headlights, tail lights or indicators, they just don't want to give their "enemies" (other drivers on the road) any clue as to what their next move would be. They are in a constant 'stealth mode', it makes me wonder, what on earth are they doing on the road, they should very well be in the Indian Armed Forces, their service could be invaluable for the nation.

'The rebels': These cartoons live and breathe the motto "Rules are meant to be broken". Doesn't matter what the rule is, it will be broken. If someone told them to wear their seatbelts, they would rather die than wear them. Someone said wear a helmet while riding a bike, they would leave their helmets at home itself. If they see a sign that says 'No overtaking', they will do exactly that. Some people just can't turn off the "rebel" mode even when they are on the road. There is a special section in this rebel category, and I find them mostly in Tamil Nadu (my current home), who like to drive in the opposite direction, come hell or high water, they will not deter from their course, we people who are driving in the right direction better watch out for them!

'The eternal bully': Be it in school, or college, there always used to be a bully who used to make life difficult for all the people around. Roads are no different, time and again you bump into the 'eternal bullies' who will keep the whole road to themselves and not allow anyone to overtake them, they just derive a lot of pleasure from seeing other hapless drivers on the road suffer, and finally when they had their due share of bullying for the day, they let go.

Well, it has been only three months since I started driving and the list of cartoons that I meet on the road, it just keeps getting bigger with each passing day. There are certain days, when I do not come across any cartoons on the road, but then there are days when all of them appear on the road at the same time, those are the days where I feel like a mental asylum has broke open and all the inmates have come onto the road! As a kid, I remember watching my brother play this video game called 'Max Payne' on our computer all the time, where, as Max Payne the player has to fight off villains at various levels of the game to stay in the game and get past each level. There are days when driving feels like a game of 'Max Payne' sans any violence, of course, only some non-violent name calling at times (in the mind, though, just can't help it at times). You deal with one cartoon, move on to the next level, deal with a much worse cartoon in the next level and then go over to the next level and so on, until you finally reach home and say "Yes, I've made it".

Yes, these cartoons can at times, take the pleasure out of driving, however driving has its moments and fortunately the moments outnumber the encounters with those cartoons, by a very large number, which makes driving one of the best things in the world. I am sure most people who know driving, will agree with me on that, right? In my three month old driving experience itself, I have come across many such moments which have totally made me fall in love with driving. The best moment had been when I made a trip of 470 odd kilometres from my present home in Thanjavur to my home in Cochin, in my car, all by myself. The best roads are the ones that take you home, be it a home away from home or your actual home, those rides to home are the best ones, ever! Then there are also moments that have taken my breath away, courtesy a job that takes me to three beautiful districts of rural Tamil Nadu that abound in natural beauty - Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam; I have travelled through places that could give all the so-called "Heritage Resorts" a run for their money, on any given day.

Well, driving to me is nothing short of liberation. After education and an own source of income, I feel that driving is the one thing that has liberated me the most. I have to say thanks to three for that, firstly it is to my father who taught me how to drive a cycle, a scooter and a car, all three of which have helped me during various phases of my life. If 'Dangal's "Haanikarak Bapu" Aamir Khan was like "Be ready by 5.00 in the morning", my father was a step ahead while he used to give me driving classes, he used to be like "Get ready by 4.00 am". There were many sleepy, chilly mornings when I also have tried to play the "Manne chod do re bapu" sympathy card and failed; when has any typical Indian father ever listened to the rants of their children, when it comes to matters that are beneficial for their kids! Today when I drive through those roads where my father used to teach me how to drive, I say a million thanks to him because had it not been for him, probably I would never have had the confidence to drive any vehicle on my own. The second and the third "thank you"s go to the 2 "G"s in my motto for driving - "TIG squared", short for "Trust in God and Trust in Google". God, yes, without help from that superpower I don't think I would have been able to make it, ever. As I write this, I have completed 5000 km (and counting) of solo driving and have driven through roads that have signboards resembling pretty much all the shapes that you find on the 'Insert shape' option in Microsoft Office applications, roads ranging from express highways to national highways to district roads to roads in rural areas (which can hardly qualify as a road) and I am still going strong, thanks to Him. Then the to the next "G" in my motto - Google, the most loyal and helpful friend of mine. From helping me with my assignments during engineering college and B-school days, to helping me learn coding during my years as a techie, to helping me find a platform to fulfil my passion of writing, to helping me find my way as I drive through places that are totally strange to me with name boards written in a language that is all greek and latin to me, Google has always been by my side, providing me with all the support that I require, just like a good friend. Yes, Google and me, we have come a long way, love you loads, Google!

Well that brings me to the end of this post, I would like to conclude by saying that, I have written this from the perspective of someone who has just taken the baby steps into driving. I am not sure, if with time, I will also turn into one of the cartoons that I have described in this post, or if I will become an entirely new cartoon, that only time will tell ( I hope and wish that I do not, ever!), but for the time-being let me not worry about all that, let me just stick to being a "New Kid on the Road".

P.S: A couple of more "thank you"s to say! 
1) A big thanks to whoever invented 'Automatics', they are a boon to the whole driving fraternity, I wish someone also invents a car that can auto-park itself, then I won't have to deal with my current nemesis in driving - "parking" anymore. 
2) Though my car is no KITT, I just adore my car, a big thanks to you too for bearing with me as I learnt how to drive you, Yeah, I still don't know how to park you well, but I am sure I will get there someday, hopefully, very soon!