I had to go to LIC at Fort today morning, to pay my LIC premium
which was due for 3 months. I received my documents in mid Nov and my first
premium was due for October; but unfortunately my account having insufficient
balance at that time, I had to go to the branch and deposit the premium now.
A night before, I did all the permutation and combination of
reaching LIC before 12.30 pm and also enjoying the Mc Muffin at McDonalds (before
11am). I had finally zeroed down on taking a train to VT from Dadar. But the other
side of me, the lazy me as I term it, suddenly woke up while I was crossing the
lane in the morning. She dint even give time for me to argue and then I just
remember me in a brand new Santro taxi heading towards Fort.
To my surprise, the taxi guy asked which way would I prefer to
take and I guided him. For another 10 minutes I was busy deciding the song I
wanted to listen. My song selection in morning always helps me understand my
mood for d day and for quite some time I m happy that I select peppy songs. A
secret revealed, when I feel low and lonely there is one devotional song
(bhajan) I listen repeatedly.
Coming back to my taxi drive, today being a Saturday, the usually
crowded Tulsi Pipe road was wide empty. It seemed my Taxi driver was enjoying
the freedom of driving in full speed as i noticed the buildings and shops
around passing without me being able to notice it. I crossed the lower parel
flyover and had reached Palladium when a truck came beside our cab from under
the flyover. I noticed the taxi and the truck driver increased their speed
simultaneously and suddenly removed my headset to contemplate what is happening.
Both the vehicles wanted to lead the way, both drivers stubborn not to let other
go. For a few seconds it seemed both the drivers were racing and then i noticed
that the truck was approaching a car ahead. Instead of speeding down, the truck
driver tried to enter our lane, the lane in which my taxi was driving. Seeing
ths my taxi driver increased the speed and blowing the horn and...zoom we went
ahead of the Truck and the other car.
Frankly I should have been screaming on the taxi driver for this
fraction of breath taking experience, but rather felt proud of taxi driver, and
indeed he noticed the smile on my face as well. The taxi driver did not only
risk his but my life as well, and I may seem stupid that I was smiling and not
seeing red on the him, but somewhere deep i knew where that smile from.
Somewhere within i knew that if I was driving and this incident would have happened,
I would have done the same thing what taxi driver did. I would have not let any
other vehicle overtake me. Call it rash driving, or craziness or the
determination to win in whatever u do. Frankly I felt smug :P
