Saturday, September 29, 2007

My baby just turned one!

I took her out to celebrate, bought her some stuff (she looks so beautiful decked up), went on a long drive... just a little private time together to convey to her how much she means to me and how important a part of my life she is.

Yup, my car is now one month old. And boy, do I love her.

There's something incredibly special about the first major investment one makes with one's own, hard-earned money. The sheer exhiliration, the thrill, the oh-my-god-I'm-so-grown-up feeling. And the insane attachment to the object. Buying her in my second month of employment resulted in my bank balance becoming very dangerously low, but I didn't care. I'm probably going to sell her a year or so from now when I move out of Gurgaon, but she'll always be special. There'll always be a little corner of my heart where will nestle an image of my Alto.

She isn't particularly remarkable in terms of looks; there are a million others just like her across India. But she'll always be the most beautiful of them all to me.

Some of my friends refer to their cars/bikes as their mistresses or girlfriends (which allows for corny dialogues like "I was riding her last night"), but for some inexplicable reason I view my car as a daughter. A little kid who has brought new meaning, a new emotional focus to my life, someone who I will nurture as she grows older and her wide eyed innocence (silky smooth gearshift, lovely suspension) meets the big bad world (potholes, pollution, maniacal drivers). Someone who, in just a matter of minutes, can make me forget my worries and strifes. Some who, without a single word, can cheer me up when I'm down. Someone to come home to (or with) after a hard day's work.

As she grows older, she will begin to rebel. She'll acquire a mind of her own, one that simply will not listen to what I have to say. She'll grumble and whine and be difficult. And someday, she'll leave me and go to someone else, someone who will become the new center of her life. But I'll always love her.

Happy Birthday, baby.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

OMG! Its beautifully written. I know what you mean.....every word of that post :) Glad that you got this one home finally! - Lizzy

Nimme said...

AC,
you settled for an alto?
I thought u would invest on a benz ;)

I am sure you would clean the car weekly if not daily may be for first few months..then you wont bother..same happened with my bike .:)

AC said...

@Lizzy: Thanks :) But what do you mean by 'glad you got this one home finally'? Are you implying I don't have custody of my earlier kids?!

@Nirmal: Hey, this tself was a bit of a financial stretch! Also, I don't see the Benz as value for money :)

Arjun said...

Macha. What did good ol' Activa have to say about the new baby?

And why only girl friend or daughter?
Why not a buddy/bro or a son? :P

Michael said...

Well done post. Thank you.

Mike said...

When she gets older she'll begin to cough and even make some funny noises... just like my grandma

AC said...

@GB: The Activa was special, but this is more special simply because it's my own money :) But she's ok with the new baby.

And re the daughter thing, that's a good point; I don't know why not a buddy/bro... hmmm...

AC said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
AC said...

@paros shepherd: Thank you so much :) Glad you liked it!

@mikestar: LOL!

Jackie said...

Sadly now I have retired my old girl got too old and expensive to care for so had to pass her on to someone else. I really miss her as I lug my shopping home on foot.

Enjoy your drives :)

Nimme said...

AC,
forgot to add this in my first comment.

In a tamil movie called Padikadhavan (super star movie),he will name his car Lakshmi.

What is her name?
I can suggest few names [;)]
But you yourself name your baby.

Anonymous said...

excellent blog dude...had fun studying it.

Nandan said...

Delightful!

Anonymous said...

:) (the actual grin cannot be html'ed yet....atleast not by me)

Ag.

AC said...

@Jackie: Thanks :)

@Nirmal: Hmmm... interesting idea... can't think of a name right now... will let you know if something pops up!

AC said...

@Praveen: Studying it?! Wow :)

@Nandan and Ag: Thanks guys... glad you liked it!

Anonymous said...

oh its reading!!!!!!!! not studying.....

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately our first "baby" was totalled a month after we got her paid off. *sigh* People think I'm nuts but I'll always remember my little Mitsubishi. Had it not been for the accident she would probably still be going strong.

Ajith Prasad Balakrishnan said...

Oh..that was a great post :) liked it very much :)

Nandini Vishwanath said...

Nice to know :) Send pictures no? Like a proud dad with his baby. And does this 'I want to be a dad' thing affect all men? Whether men want wives or not, they want a girlfriend and babies :P

Patrali said...

beautifully xpress'd....u must be havin a wonderful time....gr8
btw....as a comment to one of ur earlier posts..i envy ur weekends' happy laze's. phew...i have been forbidden weekend delights eversince i joined iima :p

AC said...

@square1: I'm terrified something like that will happen in my case as well... I'm doing everything I can to avoid an accident of even the most minor kind!

@ajith: Thanks man :)

AC said...

@Nandu: Really?! Has that what your experience has been with all the guys in your life?

@sails o' life: Believe it or not, I wish I was back on campus; I wish I could rewind the last two years of my life... Enjoy and cherish the IIMA experience while you can, you have no idea how much you'll miss it a couple of years down the line!

Anonymous said...

Yes, though not necessarily in that order :D - the sis who forgot you are in the US now.

AC said...

@Nandu: We like to mix things up... keeps life from getting too boring ;)

squarecut.atul said...

Hello AC, this is Atul,a contemporary of your Raja Mama ( bth of us are members of a cricket form ), and I am so happy to see that you share some of his stelar qualities ( sensitiveness, ability to express oneself so effectively, winning people over etc). It is a pleasure reading your posts here. Keep it up.