Saturday, July 11, 2009

Challaned !



Yes. I did get challaned today.

My father and sister were landing in Delhi from Baroda this morning . So I was to go and recieve them at the railway station. Got ready. Locked up the house. Took the car for her fill of petrol to the nearby Bharat Petroleum filling pump. Then I lazily parked myself amongst the slow moving cavalcade of traffic and made my way towards the station. Although the slow movement of the traffic was soporific, the horns and the frequent changing of gears kept me awake the entire time. Suprisingly the weather was really good. There had been showers for about 15 mins in the morning and this had made the office going 'junta' pretty shaant today.

Normally there is an abuse hurled every second on Delhi roads. There are a lot of antecedents for the abuse hurling..the heat, the 'pahuch-jayenge' and 'main-gaadi-bahut-acchi-chalata-hun' attitude and to top it all, an autorickshaw break down in the middle of the road. Apparently the Dilliwalas make quite a show out of their 'pahuch-jayenge-attitude' during the marriage season in the winter months with baraats reaching 1-2 hours late and the baraatis, only after the food has been served.

Anyway, I had just reached the Moolchand underpass. While I was making my way through it, I saw a bike in my side-rear view mirror. The bike slowly developed into a traffice police officer riding it. The officer overtook me. He looked at me. And I at him. He had crossed me now. But I was somehow suspicious. A second later, he looked back and asked me to stop by the side of the road. What had I done ? I was wearing a seat belt, drving within speed limit. Then what was this for?

I came out of the car and asked him. Meanwhile he had already taken out his challan booklet. I was driving with a defective number plate. Mummy had told papa so many times to get the darn thing repainted, but he hadn't paid heed to her advice. And well, the policewalla had noticed the peeling paint of the rear number plate. He had even gone as far as checking my front number plate when he overtook me.

I was asked for my licence. He scribbled for a few odd seconds on his challan booklet and booked me for my violation. 100 Rs. Damn it..The biryani at Nizam's gone !