My Petra and I

Do you recall the adrenaline rush that you felt the first time when as a kid you took your cycle and explored your neigbourhood tentatively on your own. You probably collided with the vegetable hawker (which is what I did), or you went exploring and looked for tiny fish in the local pond, or saw a street brawl. It was the same when I first learnt to drive, with my first car (a second hand Toyota corolla -a sports model) that I bought as a grad student in the US. The thrill of taking her on the free ways and roaming around and the first accident that I had are strongly imprinted in my mind.

We were mobile and we encountered experiences. That is how most of us probably got our first taste of independence.

Be it the humble bike, the gleaming kinetic honda, the roaring Yamaha or Maruti or the Octavia, they all stand proudly as the symbol of our independence.

I now drive the 1.6 litre 105 bhp petra from the fiat family of thoroughbreds:-). I love the feeling of joy when I drive her to work on the quiet Palm beach road in the mornings, listening to music. I also recall, how during last years monsoon, the roads were flooded deep in water and I literally was encouraging my Petra to pull me through the rain water and the surge of relief that I felt when she just did that.

I also anguish over the dents and scratches that she gets. For the past few months her sideview mirror has been broken and I have not been able to get her a new one, as yet (blame the Fiat Co, for not having spares!).

One of my dreams is to get behind a porsche or a BMW and drive through Europe. Porsche or no Porsche, today is the present that I have in the form of my Petra:-) and I love her for the freedom that she gives me.