Things I Keep in Mind before Going for a Road Trip in India

Regardless of the region I choose for my road trip in India, I make sure I take care of at least a few things to make my vacation a success. Even though India is a diverse yet tricky country, I love going for vacations in various parts of it. In summer, the northern hills become a heaven on earth. And when it becomes unbearably cold in the North, I prefer going down south in the country so as to enjoy pleasant weather and see some of the most amazing sights in the world. Nonetheless, I have to have an impeccable car with me in addition to preparing other things.

Getting the car ready

I get my car serviced if I plan to take my car for the vacation, preferably from an authorized car dealer. I can, never in my life, forget to get the AC checked because many parts of India are miserably hot, even during supposed winter months. I made this mistake once when the AC of my car was creating some kind of slight noise, but I decided to get it repaired after I returned. However, that mere AC made my road trip as worse as hell because I was traveling to Bhopal, and no local mechanic could repair it well. I wasted a lot of time of my precious road trip on getting the AC mended.

The second thing I check is the tires of the car if they are worn out or not. If they need replacement, I cannot procrastinate it since I keep the security of my family on top priority. Moreover, I also check a spare tire in the boot for proper air pressure and a toolkit as well. In India, the roadside car mechanics can do almost anything you ask, but nearly all of them do one common mistake. They fill the tire with much more air than recommended, sometimes as high as 45 PSI when the recommended limit is 35 PSI. Excess air in the tires makes them heat up while covering long distances during summers. The Yamuna Express Highway is infamous for witnessing high number of accidents because of excessive air pressure in tires only because the brakes do not work well when the car imbalances on road. Moreover, the tires may also burst because of excessive heat in the tires. I can never imagine myself or my family going through such accidents because of my silly mistakes.

Other preparations

I had once taken a car on rent in Pune, so I did not have to take care of the car service, but other things only. I took the print out of Google Maps for my travel region because I could not rely on internet to work in the remote regions. Proper clothes, food, cash, cards, first-aid kit, and entertainment media are the other things that I need to check before I embark for my road trip. I like to go prepared everywhere rather than regretting things later.

How I Chose To Spend On Travel than on Anything Else

It is no easy feat being born in India, and avoid social pressures. In more than a few forms, people tend to force you for a lot of things that you are not willing to do. I was raised in a conventional Indian family where parents start saving money for their kids since their birth or even before that. I realized this fact that my father was willing to spend a fortune on my wedding, precisely 55-60 lakhs INR! He had saved all this money making efforts throughout his life, but he still fell short by a few lakhs, for which he planned to take loans! I cannot explain what I went through when I got this knowledge for the first time; it was when I was in school. Although I still had more than 7-8 years in hand before I tied the knot, I could not take it out of my mind that my father wishes to go through unnecessary agony because of just one day of grand celebrations.

Travel and education

I had only two dreams in life- to travel around the world and to learn as many skills as I can. Travel would come later since I was too young to wander around alone, at least according to Indian standards. However, I could convince my father to educate me to the best. He never refused to pay for my school and college, but somewhere he would try to save money on both. Every Indian parent has a hidden agenda that he or she should save money on everything by any means so that they can save the maximum amount for his or her kid’s marriage celebration. The same was the case with my parents, but I decided to change their mindset with the help of my maternal uncle.

My mother’s brother is an IAS officer in Bhopal, and hence, I decided to call him to talk to my father regarding my studies. Long story cut short, it took me one meeting with that uncle, and a few weeks of convincing to have my father agree for my education in Delhi. Since I belong to Meerut, it was not so easy to persuade him to let me go out of the city for coming few years, or probably all my life. Anyway, after I had graduated from Hindu College and done my post-graduation from Jawaharlal Nehru College, it was the turn to find a job that would let me travel.

Travel job

It feels like a dream to write my life story like this, but finding a job in a TV channel was not that difficult as I had thought. Since I was fluent in Japanese language, it took me only a few interviews to crack a well-paying job. Now that I travel a lot, I thought of bringing my parents as well for a foreign trip. They did not agree to go to Europe at first, but I took them along to Pune with me the previous October. The looks on their faces were invaluable as they wandered around places in Car Rental Pune without worrying about money as I had assured them that the trip was company-sponsored (which was actually not the case). It feels pleasant to lie to your loved ones sometimes.

Now, after six years of my schooling, they realize that their child is settled well in life. They take my words more seriously than before, and I finally convinced them to forget the pressures of society and let me marry in a low-key celebration with the close family only. Needless to say that they agreed! It is the most significant achievement in my life to have a dowry-free, happy wedding.

How Staying in India Made Me a Better Person

It may be too soon to write a blog like this, but I cannot wait to state that my stint of a year in India made me a better person. I hail from Sweden, and my mother brought me up in the cold environment of a society where people live an individualistic life. When I came to India for a job, I sensed that I had done the opposite thing of coming from Sweden to India. The common trend is that Indians go to my home country to seek better employment. Anyway, I was associated with a Japanese firm in my city, which required me to handle their operations in India for a few months. I, at first, detested at the announcement as I had heard a lot of horror stories about the country. However, I love to admit that India changed me for better and I was a changed person when I left after ten months.

Food is to share

On my first day in office, I had a great time while smiling back all the time at the welcoming colleagues. During lunch time, I went to the cafeteria to buy a couple of sandwiches. As soon as I grabbed a chair to begin my lunch, a few of my teammates banged open the door and said Hi to me. After they came to my table with their warmed up tiffin boxes in hands, the aroma of their delicious food filled the room. Before I could speak up, all of them presented their food in front of me, and simply said, "Have it." I couldn't do anything but oblige. I was happy to share my cold sandwiches with them in exchange for their fragrant rice and curries. The other great thing that I learned about Indians is that they love eating with their hands. They would wash their hands before lunch and eat food with their hands and a couple of spoons. No forks and knives come into play while eating Indian cuisines; they are required only for continental foods.

The vibrancy of India 

Throughout my life, I have seen very few bright colors. I have always seen men and women dressed in grey, black, white, and beige. Ladies in India love to dress in vibrant colors, and a few men as well. At every party, office meeting, or wedding I attended; I have seen them dressed in bold colors. Rather than making a woman feel guilty in office for wearing a bright saree, people love to compliment her. My hometown does not witness any such occurrence; people there are very strict about colors and clothing that makes the place at least visually dull.

Compassion

My friends from Mumbai once hired two Self Drive Cars in Pune to wander around the city. I have always seen poverty in India, and my friends warn me not to give alms to people as it encourages beggary. However, I make it a point not to haggle with children selling things on the streets, or the street vendors selling various articles and clothes. They do over-charge the foreigners than they do to the locals. However, if I can afford to pay a little more for a product, I do not mind doing so. Living in India has made me more compassionate towards the wealthy as well as the poor. Patience, endurance, and sympathy are required in enormous amounts to live a life like millions of people in India do. I salute these people who are made of steel to bear the unbearable circumstances all through their lives.

What Pune Taught Me in Just a Few Weeks

To be as sarcastic as I can. Yes, Pune taught me more sarcasm in three weeks than I had ever learned in my life. Rather than finding it offensive, since I am from Delhi, I took sarcasm as a funny tool to deal with unruly people. The Pune-kars do not behave rudely with people when they have to convey a strong message. They would use a solid sarcastic comment to convey their intent that might even contain a small bit of insult as well. To some sensitive souls, this might sound highly offensive, but being born and brought up in Delhi has made my nerves of steel. I took this skill as an essential thing to survive in Pune, and indulge with the Pune-kars as quickly as possible.

The straightforwardness  

Since I have spent a good number of years in Delhi, I always thought that the Delhi-ites are more clear-cut in their approach than anyone else. However, spending some time in Mumbai, and especially Pune changed my perception entirely. The Pune-kars would convey their message in strict, not-so-polite words with a soft tone that would make you wonder whether to feel angry or just okay with their behavior. For someone coming from a small town, this city can be as confusing as hell. However, the residents are quite welcoming and they would receive you wholeheartedly when you meet them. Just don't get scared by their frank conduct.

Sarcasm

For someone who can deal with sarcasm, it sounds funny. And for someone who has never been exposed to mockery, Pune-kars may sound very rude. Sarcasm is like the mother tongue of residents, and you have to master this language of sarcasm if you want to survive in Pune, which I eventually did quite soon. For instance, someone did not want the bikers to park their bikes in front of his house, which might have been a chronic issue for him or her. Instead of using simple language in his instructional board outside his house, he wrote, ‘I am a donkey; I will park my bike here only’.

Another billboard outside a house read in Marathi language, ‘After you ring the bell, wait for a minute. There are humans in the house, not the Spiderman.’

The honkers on the road will find writing on the back glass of a car amusing, ‘I am not going to live on the road. Do not honk.’ It is a simple message conveyed rather strongly.

You just cannot afford to be rowdy in Pune. They welcome the outsiders who know the way to behave in the society, but know how to teach a lesson to those who don’t.

Punctuality

In addition to sarcasm and straightforwardness, Pune has taught me the great trait of being punctual everywhere. My mom had spoilt me, just like any other North Indian mother, to get late for every party and meeting. It is kind of acceptable in Delhi to waste a few minutes of yours and others, no matter the occasion. However, working in Pune made me more professional and punctual. For instance, if I delay my rent by even one day, I have to go through a strict lecture by my landlord for actually 30 minutes or more! I cannot afford to listen to so much of scolding from my landlord or my manager at Car Rental Pune.

Much has been talked about the great weather of Pune, but I feel great when I think about the learnings that this amazing city has given me. I still stay in Pune, and would never want to leave it.

How I Returned to Normal Lifestyle after Being a Nomad

Pune is indeed a beautiful place to live and work; it can mesmerize anyone as it did to me. I have, never in my life, ran into a person who has visited Pune and chinwag bad things about it. After a friend, who works in Vodafone Pune, invited me to spend some time with her several times in the last five year, I decided to give it a shot this time. I booked the tickets after Diwali and thought of spending a couple of weeks in Pune. Since the stay was going to be free, I knew that I was going to have a cheap trip.

I don't want to blabber about what I did and saw in the city of Millennial but the major thing that happened to create a dent in my life. Everything was going well as I stayed at my friend's place, ate whatever I wanted, went wherever I felt like and did whatever suited me. There was a birthday party that I had to attend in a Club in Pune when I met, Ashish, who liked people to call him James. So this guy, James was a nomad from Delhi; being from the same city made me connect to him instantly. As he narrated his story of being a nomad, how he began, and how he carries on his life; he impressed me so much so that I ended up being a nomad myself in the next six months. 

Missing family 

However, it was not a very good decision of my life. I did not think much before giving up my job as a travel writer, but I did regret it later. One thing that I missed the most was my family after being away from them for an entire year. I used to run away from my parents and siblings till the time I lived with them, but once I was forced not to meet them, I missed them like anything.

Money issues 

Finances were never a problem for me because fortunately, I come from an affluent family. Yet, I could not adjust to the fact that I am not earning for myself. After two years of toiling in a lavish corporate job, I had apparently become habitual of spending my money without answering to anyone. Now that I had to ask money from the family to survive in the initial period of my nomadic life, I used to hate it from the core of my heart. I wanted to get back to financial independence so that I could make any expenses without thinking.

How I rebounded to normalcy  

Another thing that I did not like about the nomadic lifestyle is that I could not stay committed to my boyfriend. He would be annoyed with me more often than he would be pleased with me. I would Rent Cars in Pune during the initial months and leave for a remote place to find solace, which never went down well with him. He would be often worried about my whereabouts, so much so that he threatened me to break up the relationship if I did not return to Delhi. 

After not being in touch with him for a couple of months, I realized that the nomadic lifestyle might be suitable for many people around the world, but it was not made for me. I used to think that I never liked living in a family, but being alone for a couple of years in a row made me understand the value of loved ones. Never in my life, I would think about being a nomad again.