The driving test

Accept it or not! Exams and tests are part and parcel of our life. We write them because we are forced to clear them to take the next step. Our world is a place which values efficiency a lot. People here want to know how skilled you are before assigning you a task!

Many of my readers might have already gone through the test. How were those days? My first encounter, a failed one happened in 2014. I was a final year degree student. I received a scholarship from the government. My hostel inmates were already going for the driving class. I also decided to join, but in a new place because it was cheaper. The initial days were challenging. I did not know a thing about car driving. I was not understanding what my boss was saying either. I got confused with the clutch, brake and accelerator. I also wondered, "how do we understand when it is time to change the gear?" 

I gave my learning license test all the seriousness. I was appearing for MA admission exams. When I get free time, I used to read the exam booklet. "What if I don't clear? I know I am already weak in this task? Why do I take a chance?" That was the motive. Luckily, I cleared the computerised test. My license test was slotted a day before me going to join the University. I did some practising. I had to go to Thiruvananthapuram again for the test. I took the early train and reached there. The boss took us to the testing ground. We were five applicants. I rode an MIT for the two-wheeler test. The thump rule is to not keep your feet down. But I did. The next turn was to take the four-wheeler. It was a hard task. No matter hard I tried, I could not master it. But somehow I cleared it. But the bigger challenge was waiting. The road test. 

I was the fourth to attempt the test. The officer told not to panic. I was not nervous. But I had a desperation to clear it this time. Unfortunately,  everything went haywire. It was not my day. The officer scolded me and added, "People like you should never drive."There I closed the Thiruvananthapuram chapter. 

Cut to 2018. I am the owner of an electric vehicle. I have a deadline to take the test. The first task was to get the local address done. I did not approach any agent. I was completing the tasks all by myself. I ran a lot to get it done. The bank employee may point out one issue or another. Finally, I got it done and booked a slot for learner's test. This time the RTO people did not allow me to write it. They wanted me to expand my surname in the application. "Dear sir, it will cost me another Rs 300. Please allow me to take the test," I pleaded. The man did not listen. "Pay it and re-appear for the test," he said in a nonchalant tone. The policeman asked me to just wait for the RTO officer to appear. I waited but he did not show up. I cursed my bad luck. We usually don't expand our surnames in government forms. The rules in Telangana are different. My new office too gave a fully loaded name for online access. The long name on the screen irritates sometimes. This is done to avoid the clash of common names. "Won't the initials work?" I asked. "Not in Telangana," they said. 

This time, clearing the learners was easy. I felt like something has offloaded from me. Such was the relief. 

The test was scheduled at Kondapur RTO. I was worried whether the timings would clash with my reporting assignments. Luckily it didn't. The RTO officer inspected my vehicle. 

"What kind of vehicle is this?"

 "Sir it is an electric vehicle." 

"It must be a Chinese one. Look at its name," he remarked to his colleagues who laughed aloud. 

I took the road test. It was not like you do in Kerala. This is a designed track. The police have made it a difficult path accustomed to real road conditions. Several people had failed. I too was on the verge of it. But luckily, I passed. When the officer pasted the stamp that I cleared, I gave a relieved look onto his face. 

But the tamasha did not end there. It did not reach me initially. I tracked the delivery address. By some mistake, they had sent the license to Warangal RTO. I had to make repeated phone calls with the postman to get it done. Similarly, the postman did not identify our address and sent back my RC book to RTO, Khairtabad. I went there, got clearance from the RTO officer to collect it. 

This whole process was too demanding. I encountered people who bribed the officers. The brighter side was that the process was made online and you can do it yourself. Provided you have all the papers. I was not confident to take the four-wheeler test and that is a pending case until this day.