Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi

Raj was meandering through the mind boggling traffic of the bustling metropolis unmindful of the constant yammer and chatter of the auto rickshaw driver talking non stop about the teething at the edges infrastructure which was losing its sheen every single day.Raj was a bundle of nerves : in a few minutes he would pick up his new sedan from the showroom centre positioned in MG road and in a couple of hours surprise his wife - who had no inkling on this purchase which was supposed to celebrate their five years of wedded bliss and end the day with a Chinese dinner (How he loved Indian Chinese).Raj left the office premises as per schedule reorganizing the conference calls and meetings with the ever demanding diverse and multicultural clients ensuring his evening was free for the first of the many rides in the dream machine.He had got promoted a year back thanks to the work smart not hard - dictum notwithstanding the Mrses never ending complaints of no work life balance and family planning ( yes it was always work in progress).He had zeroed down on a couple of sedans ,test driven a few and fell hook, line and sinker for the Toyota Etios which was a lot like what he wanted a car to be -stylish,irresistible, innovative ,sporty and much more. The sedan was reasonably well priced and had a smooth finish and quality to it helped in no small measure by the simple but practical design which enabled a person( irrespective of geometric proportions) to slide in and out with ease. Raj was a few metres away from the show room and his heart was pounding away.He walked into the showroom in an excited manner, exchanged pleasantries with the sales manager who wanted a photo op with him whilst the staff explained the very many varied features of the sedan .The sedan was a visual spectacle -a flaming red dream boat resplendent in all its crowning glory looking like a be-jewelled wife ready to go for a joy ride .Raj parked himself in the drivers seat taking a moment in what seemed like an eternity to admire the upholstery ,leather embellished steering wheel and the blue back lighting of the odometer which looked mesmerizing and ominous in the afterglow of the evening. He revved up the engine feeling his way albeit slowly through the huge gates of the car showroom exchanging a smile with the
security guard who had been handsomely baksished for the new purchase. Raj plugged his iPod to the USB port and was humming along to the mean lyrics of the latest chart buster when not more than 200 metres away he spotted a man frantically waving his blazer in front of all the cars passing by asking for the proverbial lift. Raj gingerly brought the car to a halt .The gent in question was supposed to do a motivational presentation for a business conglomerate in a five star hotel which was a few kilometers away and he was running late (the car he was travelling in had a flat tyre hence the disgruntlement).He went by the name of Sunil Narayan- an acclaimed motivational speaker and an Indian author of repute who had helmed quite a few self help books. Raj offered to drop Sunil to the hotel as it was en-route. The plush air conditioner in the car with ample head and leg space slowly but surely eased up Sunil making him loosen his bow tie and crack a few sardonic one-liners with Raj. Suddenly in the midst of the conversation Raj received a call from a familiar voice asking him about his whereabouts and whether he was on schedule to meet her at the Chinese restaurant rather appropriately named -Enter The Dragon asking him to repeat it after her to ensure it does not get lost in translation.He repeated the name of the restaurant and spoke in monosyllabic tones. Sunil as is his wont cut a quick repartee "behind every successful man there is a woman and behind that woman is his wife". "Yes and we celebrate 5 years of wedded bliss and companionship today" Raj remarked with a smile on his face. Sunil exclaimed -"Wow that's nice". The sedan glided through the swelling traffic with ease overtaking all modes of transportation from the ubiquitous trucks to the swarming two wheelers following their own sense of direction .During the course of their conversation -Raj and Sunil hailed from the Capital of India, studied in the same school post which Sunil had gone to an Ivy League Business School and done his Masters in Business Administration followed by a stint of leadership roles in top notch multinational companies and for the last couple of years he was putting his communication skills to good effect.There was a gap of 12 years between the twosome which did not seem to really matter as the camaraderie they shared was to be seen to be believed. Well the sedan did get an unhindered view of their sparkling chemistry.Suddenly in the midst of the tete a tete Sunil asked Raj whether he remembered the school song. Raj immediately replied -yes of course and they rendered a croaked version of the school song with full gusto and verve not missing a single beat. On cue Sunil wanted Raj to slow down and exchange seats with him . Raj gladly obliged and Sunil took over - he loved the sound of the engine and the power it emanated.It almost felt like he was flying an airplane - truly gravity defying. Sunil had not driven a car in a long time as he never felt the need to do - he had chauffeur driven cars at his disposal and his sole objective was to be taken from point A to point B. Sunil loved the feel of the sedan,the unhurried manner in which he could glide through traffic , the inviting headlights (he did see some elegance and beauty in them).Sunil zipped through the inviting and well manicured lawns of the tony five star hotel taking everyone from the burly looking security guards to the onlookers by surprise.The drive was refreshing to say the least and Sunil arrived just in the nick of the time for the motivational session.He admired the car from all the angles ,checked the ample boot space and was pleasantly surprised with the pricing. Sunil and Raj exchanged a bear hug , shared coordinates and promises to catch up with each other as and when the situation arises. Raj arrived on schedule to meet his wife for the Chinese dinner carefully carrying a bouquet of sun flowers and liquor chocolates making sure she did not get a whiff of the surprise on four wheels (he was looking forward to seeing the bewildered expression on her face).As expected she was pleasantly surprised by the choice of chocolates from a teetotaler and inquired about his whereabouts getting a sly grin in response .The dinner was filling and there seemed to be no signs of the bill making an appearance at the table even after repeated inquiries. The waiter when asked , replied through an uneven set of teeth (which had seen many trips to the dentist) that the dinner had been paid for by a stranger who refused to name himself. Raj chuckled to himself agreeing with the Confucius quote " a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" .Cut to the present- He gently tapped Simran on the shoulders with the sunflowers asking her to close her eyes while he led her to the portico of the restaurant to see the colourful surprise. Love,Life,Luck and Laughter, Shekhar Vijayan