Good things come in small packages…

Most people who know me would guess it right away that I am talking about my Tata Nano. I know that this is not a car people usually go with because of it’s size or safety or other blah blah. But to me, my nano is a very special car, not only because it’s my first car, but also because every time I sit inside it, I get a feeling of completion and satisfaction. It’s like they say, “When you find someone perfect to spend your life with, it’s infatuation, but when you find someone imperfect and still don’t bother about the flaws, it’s called love.” So yeah, by this definition, I do love my car. It’s true that it cannot do more than a 100 Km/hr, it’s true that if I get hit doing that speed, my parts will probably never be found but I know that my nano will not let anything like that happen. It’s like it has this unspoken bond with me. My friends never get a hang of driving it properly, frankly I don’t prefer anybody else driving it (Yes, I am possessive like that), but with me it never has a problem. It’s as smooth as it gets.

Recently I got to discover a whole new dimension of love with my car. I was under a lot of pressure due to some reasons recently. I really needed a break and expensive trips, although soothe the heart, do not go easy on the wallet. So one Monday morning, I decide to go for a long drive. I did not carry any extra luggage because who does that for a long drive. So, I go 30 Km just outside Chennai. I get down for some tea and out of no where a crazy idea hits me. Why not drive to Bangalore? I mean I have a really close aunty down there and she has a cute little 4 year old daughter, who I had not met since her birth. So I decide to do it, “a 400 Km drive in my nano.” Just as I started from that tea stall, a cocktail of negativity started flowing through my system and started confusing me. I mean there was no arm  rest, so was I supposed to keep my arms floating in the air for 7 hours? The suspension was not that great, so was I supposed to have a painful back after the drive? I don’t know, somehow I knew that my love won’t make me suffer. I connected my phone to my nano, put on a Bob Marley play list and just drove on. I knew at that very moment, I did not need any drugs to get high. I had my nano, the road and a bunch of great songs to get high. I couldn’t do more than a 100 Km/hr, so that gave me more time to think about myself.

I don’t know how to exactly portray my feelings with words, but to give an idea, I would give up anything to have an experience like this. It was so fulfilling. I mean even after I reached Bangalore, I wanted more. I have this dream, someday, I don’t know when, but someday, I’ll buy my own Royal Enfield Classic 500 and ride it to the Himalayas. I know it sounds crazy and half the people out there will say that I’ll never make it, but deep in my heart I know that I will. And I sure as hell know that I am crazy enough to do what my heart asks me to.

So once I reached Bangalore, I had this beautiful little cousin of mine and Simba (The Labrador) waiting for me. I admit that I hate the idea of being around kids, but this cute one changed this one thing about me. There was this one afternoon, she comes next to me to read me a story. She holds the book upside down and starts reading. I tried correcting her, she still went back to the same upside down way. This just cracked me up. Life can always get stressful and painful, I mean if it does not, you’re doing it wrong. It is moments like these that we HAVE to go through all the stress and pain. Just believe that moments like these always wash away the stains caused by the pain you’ve been through.

I also was able to meet a very close friend of mine, Mukesh. He was my roommate for almost two years. Had a wonderful time with him. We went to a restaurant called the “Kobe Sizzlers”. We were not ready for their price tags, the bill shocked the living crap out of both of us, but we ate there anyway. I mean how often do we meet old friends?

I started back from Bangalore on Friday, at around 8 in the morning. I took a longer route through Andra Pradesh, intentionally. On the way back, I still had the same high. It was the same Bob Marley play list and the same treatment my nano gave me. People always seem to go through a lot of emotional and physical stress. Often therapy fails to cure it. In my case, this drive worked. You don’t always have to have the costliest car to have the most expensive memories. In the days to come, I may or may not get a better car. But I know one thing for sure that I’ll always love and cherish my nano for the rest of my life. This drive did make me realize a new dimension of love that I had towards my car.

No matter how old you become, how bad your engine becomes, how uncomfortable your ride becomes, no matter if a better car enters my life, remember one thing, I’ll always love you with all of my heart. I will never let you down, no matter how much money it takes. You’ll always be my first love and you’ll always be a part of my life in some way. Thank you for healing me and making me realize what kind of a person I actually am. Thank you.