FORTY TWO YEARS AGO - CHAPTER FIVE.

Forty two years ago Cheltenham was a small town and did not have the Authority to take a Driving Test and issue a Driving License. For the purpose residents of Cheltenham had to apply to the Gloucester County Office. Accordingly, Triloki had applied to them for taking the test but had been told that there was a very long waiting list and he was being given an appointment after about two months. Since we had very limited time at our disposal in UK, Triloki picked up the phone and called up the Gloucestershire Office.

Triloki spoke with the concerned Officer and told him that he had only a little more than two months in the United Kingdom and he wished to tour the country by road. 

"Would it be possible for you to allow me to jump the queue and take the Driving Test as soon as possible, keeping in mind my special circumstances?" asked Triloki.

The County Official heard the full story patiently and then asked, "Mr. Nagpal, do you have a valid Driving License issued in your name by your country?"

Triloki said, "Yes indeed, I do have a valid Driving License issued by the Government of India"

The County Official said, "Good, in that case your Indian License can be used in the UK during your stay of two months and you will not need to take a test here."

Triloki was quite surprised by this information and delighted too.  This was like an unexpected windfall. But then there was one glitch, the Indian driving License had been issued in Hindi. Triloki therefore disclosed this to the County Official.

The County Official said,"Oh Dear that is a matter of concern, but Mr. Nagpal, by looking at the License can one make out that it is a Driving License and not a Dog License?"

Triloki told him that there were a few diagrams on the License by which one could conclude that it was indeed a Driving License.

The County Official then said, "Well then Mr. Nagpal, that settles it. You can use your Indian Driving License here. Enjoy your stay, Good Bye"

So apparently all that drama at the car rental place in Cheltenham and our slow drive down the countryside to Stratford Upon Avon on the Red double decker Bus, had been quite unnecessary. But then these incidents had added to the adventure and excitement of our lives. Besides, I am quite sure that my story would have remained quite mundane and insipid without these stories within stories. Right?  It was actually a case of "Much ado about nothing" and also "All's well that ends well". 

OUR BEAUTIFUL CAR

Armed with our new powers to hire a car legitimately, Triloki approached Budget Rent a Car and chose a beautiful silver coloured Vauxhall Viva for our trip to the Coast. We were going South of Cheltenham to Weymouth and Southampton. We were again going to be five of us, Francis, Sushma, Vishnu Arya a new entrant, Triloki and I.

It was decided that I would be the Navigator. In those days one had never even heard of the GPS and Tom Tom were the drums by which people in Africa communicated with each other, by beating of the drum. Well that is what I had read in Phantom and Tarzan comics! A Navigator had to depend upon a huge Map which had all the roads, lanes, rivers and villages/towns marked in great detail. The map would be of an enormous size and one needed to be quite deft with folding and unfolding the map. One wrong fold would mean a lot of minutes lost as well as a lot of patience lost.

Reading the map was a tough job, one had to watch the road, look out for turnings, keep spotting beautiful areas, NEVER, ever make mistakes, particularly if the car was being driven by the spouse. The war that took place if a turning was missed or a wrong turning was taken can only be understood by much married readers!

I agreed to take the risk so that I could get to sit on an individual seat in front and would not be squashed with two others if I sat at the back. Oh well, never mind, I was selfish, and no one will grudge it now after so many years. What do you think?

On a bright and beautiful Saturday morning all five of us set out to see the wonderful beach at Weymouth. The drive was pleasant, as we usually took the "A" roads which were well known for their scenic drives. We drove past the towns of Yeovil and Dorchester. Thomas Hardy had lived in Dorchester and the town of Casterbridge in the "Mayor of Casterbridge" was actually modelled on the town of Dorchester.

Weymouth is situated at the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel. The town is very aptly named, isn't it? This port was the place from where in 1635 one hundred people set sail across the Atlantic Ocean and reached the East Coast of  North America. The town in which they settled down  was named Weymouth by them and is situated in the State of Massachusetts. 

THE BEACH, SEA AND ME

The Sea at Weymouth was as blue as one could have imagined it to be. The colour of the sky too matched the colour of the sea. The beach was clean, beautiful and there was no garbage to be seen anywhere. The sand was a golden brown colour and was spread over a large area. As one walked towards the water one's foot would sink into the sand. The waves came in one by one, each one more beautiful than the other. We sat enchanted and entranced by the soothing sea breeze and the sound of the waves as they rolled by. After sometime we decided to take a walk along the beach and find a place to have our lunch. As we walked we saw a huge sea liner anchored at the port and we all stood and gaped at the beautiful ship and took a lot of photographs.

There was a funfair near the beach and as the day went by more people came to the beach, spread their towels, put up their beach umbrellas, applied sun screen and then lay down to read their books, or frolic around in the water. None of us were interested in swimming, so all that we did was watch, watch and watch. This beach was very different from our beaches in India. There was no narial pani wala, no chana zor garam wala, and no balloon wala too.

TRILOKI AND I

Having had our fill of Weymouth, we decided to drive on to Southampton, which was about 61 miles away. Southampton was further towards the East and had been an important port through History. It was the departure point for the Pilgrims, who were actually the separatists, who fled from England to settle in America in 1620 on board the "Mayflower". The RMS Titanic also sailed from this port in 1912. It is a big port and known as such, not for its beach. Southampton is also famous for its night life and all things associated with sailors.

 Being eternally broke people as far as finances were concerned, we did not venture towards any of the money spending events. We just walked past interesting scenarios and buildings and after having our dinner returned to our car. 

Did you think that this journey was going to be uneventful? Of course not, no story is complete without its surprise element. As we left Southampton en route to Cheltenham, we suddenly heard the unusual sound of a car's horn being blown at the highest pitch for a very long time. Yes of course, it was someone shouting at us verrrry loud and harsh. Triloki had taken a turn without putting on his indicator and therefore there was this huge bombardment. Drivers in UK use the car's horn only to let out their steam on an erring driver. I thought it was a very practical and decent thing to do as the tongue does not lash out, no unparliamentary words are used, the Blood Pressure does not get erratic and the end result is the same, the pleasure of having shouted is achieved. 

We were properly chastised and drove back to Cheltenham safely.

If the story so far was good and interesting, then I will look forward to taking you with me on my next journey to the most wonderful city of London. Did you know it's streets were paved with gold? London...the city of the Queen, Lords, Ladies, Dukes, Duchess, scullery maids, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond and what else? Oh yes, Oxford Street, Pall Mall, Piccadilly, Trafalgar Square, the Thames and its Embankment, London Bridge, Tower Bridge and the wonderful Westminster as well as its Abbey. What is London without the Oval and Wimbledon and its numerous parks? 
London is the city from where Great Britain a tiny little country,  became the greatest Empire in the World, over which the sun never set. That I agree, was once upon a time.  Yet, even today, it is the most bewitching city in the whole wide World. I shall take you there with me in my next story.

Dus ve daniya- that was Russian, Namaste, phir milenge jaldi se! Do wait for me... I will be back sooner than you think.