Driving The Car

I stay at the main campus of Loyola University Maryland, but need to take a class at Columbia campus, approximately 45 minutes’ drive from the main campus. Good thing about USA is that cars are available easily, but drivers are not. Self-driving is what everyone does. XIMB has 6 vehicles and four drivers, here there are more than 30 cars but no drivers. And added to the dilemma is that there is no public transport to Columbia campus.

The department was very generous in arranging some faculties to give me the ride, then it becomes two people teaching one course. The other faculty’s time gets wasted and that does not look fair from any perspective. So the only reasonable option for me was to take the car, say a prayer and drive.

Sounds simple, but not that simple since it poses many problems:

1. Rules of driving are too different from India – we drive on the left, here people drive on the right and that does not look right, it confuses the mind and body in a mysterious way. Even in philosophy I like leftist philosophy, all of a sudden changing the side creates ethical dilemma. Since it is not a big deal making compromises as far as sides are concerned, and it is not the first time I make compromises, mentally I reprogrammed myself to accept the right side as the right side.

2. Prof.Harsha is my mentor and guide. His instruction number one was, “Do not change the lane, if you have to, then give signal and look through the side mirrors for other vehicles, then make the change”. That sounded too complicated, for a minitute I was confused whether I am driving a car or a rocket, so I decided not to change the lane, but it becomes too monotonous and I was afraid that I might go to sleep.

3. Honking is a national time-pass in India. While driving I have to press the honk, It serves two purposes – gives the vital information to other drivers that I am driving and also it reminds me that I am driving. But Prof.Harsha said that honkin is considered as a barbarian act and no one does it here unless there is a life threatening danger. Civilization is changing so fast, and I am still living in the Stone Age, need to catch up with it soon.

4. Whenever I miss the route, I stop the car on the roadside and ask for the way, once again it serves two purposes – it gives me the needed rest and interacting with other human beings rejuvenates my spirit and helps me to build network. But here at Baltimore, one sees only cars and trees, and I have not yet learned the language to communicate with them.

But despite all the above mentioned problems, I am going to drive and reach Columbia campus on coming Thursday. I do request your prayers not only for me but also for the people who will be driving at that point of time on that road.