Life is a tale of successes interwoven with failures. It has spring of hope and winter of despair.But a sapling will only sprout up , if the seed is fed with the nutrients of labour and perseverance.
On a sunday morning of early May, when the landscape of the Mannheim turned golden in color, trees in their full green, myriad of flowers- marigolds, geraniums, roses, daisies, carnations and many more, in their enchanting bloom, birds in their endless chirping and tweeting, while the bees in their incessant buzzing and a cool refreshing breeze blowing, a couple was sipping tea in their balcony- the man in his mid-thirties and the woman, perhaps two-three years younger. Five years back, they had arrived in Germany, from India.
“Hold your cup properly, or the tea will spillover”, said Divya worriedly. Ashish balanced his cup, with a slight turn of his wrist and smiled at her.
Ashish was working with a top Indian IT company which had signed a 5 year contract with a big German Pharmaceutical company in Mannheim for offering complete IT Solutions. Divya and Ashish were poles apart. Divya was social while Ashish was introvert.Divya liked watching T.V while Ashish loved reading books. Divya and Ashish had been married for 5 years and they had a daughter – Nitya.Nitya was enrolled in a Kindergarten, only a few streets away, not far away from the apartment where the family lived.
“What is going on with your driving license? Have you got yourself enrolled with the Krakowski?” asked Divya. ” yes I have enrolled with them, but they are very slow in giving appointments. The theory exam was a cakewalk but this fucking practical seems no less than a rocket science. I am pissed off ” retorted Ashish and then took a slurp of the steaming tea.
” aw, No rocket science. These guys are only minting money by fooling foreigners. Germany is the same as India.No honesty anywhere in the world ” protested Divya.” Tomorrow is my class but this fellow- Volker is quite a character. He is always in a state of paranoia as if I would crash the car somewhere. No confidence he has in me” said Ashish with a feeling of anger and despair.
The next day a man arrived with a blue Fiat at the doorstep of Ashish. He was in his late fifties, bespectacled and a serious look around him. Ashish slammed the door shut and vroomed the car to Life. Volker commanded him to take the left turn at the next signal. Ashish took the turn and Volker shouted: ” Argh, Look in the mirror, turn the blinker and then take the turn”. Ashish bit his lips in frustration for making the mistake yet again and kept driving the car with a heavy feeling. So many classes he had attended to, so much hard-earned Euros washed down the Rhein but still, he was not fit to appear for the practical exam in the eyes of Volker. Getting a driving license in India was so easy. He did not appear for any exam and he got the driving license in India delivered to his doorstep but here in this strange country, he is toiling hard for months to even get closer to get a single pat on his back from the driving teacher.
After a week Ashish had another class. This time he made a resolve that he would be more attentive while driving and win the confidence of Volker. He started driving the car with great confidence and he finally got a pat on his back from the ever-complaining Teacher. But alas, his joy was short-lived. At a cross-junction, before the red signal, Volker commanded: “Take a left turn”. Once the Signal turned green, Ashish zoomed off the car and turned left in a sheer haste. Honk! Honk! Honk !. The man coming from the opposite direction was not given priority and he would have nearly crashed into the car of Ashish with a big bang. Volker yelled ” Oh !, What was that? If you drive this way, the examiner would have a heart attack” and pounded his feet with anger and desperation on the floor of the car. Ashish got nervous and beads of perspiration started rolling down his temple. The class soon came to an end.
It was difficult to continue with Volker. He was very temperamental. One mistake and he would start yelling and pounding on the floor of the car. Ashish decided that he must change the driving Teacher. It was impossible to continue with Volker.He went to driving school and got a new Teacher for himself. This time a frail old man in early Sixties, bald, with a drooping shoulder. His name was Matthias. He was more composed and calm and would not react so violently to the mistakes of Ashish. But the Man was always falling sick and Ashish would get just one appointment a month.
Five months had passed since Ashish started the practical class. Autumn had started. Mannheim had turned now into a colorful bride , with leaves in hues of red, yellow and green dotting its landscape and the tenperature dipping down in nights and early mornings. Ashish had to appear for the practical exam on 15th of October. On the Exam day, after finishing his morning chores, he drove off to the Exam center with Matthias. At 09:15 AM, the exam was to take off. The examiner was punctual and had arrived on time. He exchanged greetings with Ashish and Matthias. He was again an old man, his hairs had shades of white and grey. He was tall and looked quite serious. He asked a few questions about car, where one can turn on the warning signal, which button to press if it gets dark etc., Ashish answered all these answers nervously. The exam phobia had set in. Beads of perspiration started rolling down his cheeks and eyes. He prayed to God in his heart and revved the car engine to life. Vroom !. The examiner asked him to turn left and drive past the center.
The first 15 minutes of the exam went well. The examiner said, “please take a right turn and proceed to the highway”. Ashish took the left turn and hit his foot on the accelerator, the car zoomed off and instantly reached the speed of 80 Km/hr. He was now to enter the highway. He sped up the car to 120 Km/hr and swerved left to enter the lane. In a haste, he forgot to look behind his shoulder on the left. The Car coming from behind was really very close. The examiner grunted and said in a serious tone “Please drive back to Exam Center”. Ashish’s heart sank as he knew that he failed the Exam. with a sullen face and drooping shoulders, he reached home and said to Divya “Did not make it” and moaned.
After a few classes, he went for the second exam. He sat in the car, closed his eyes and prayed to God to pass him this time. He then turned the key, the car started with a roar. The examiner asked him “please drive left and then again left” He turned left and again left. The lane was very narrow and cars were parked on both sides of it. Ashish drove past the row of parked vehicles with his eyes wide open and looking at the road ahead while the Examiner, a short man, with blonde hair and a relaxed look around him was chatting with Matthias as if nothing is going on. The examiner suddenly asked, ” please park the car now behind the blue Mercedes ahead”. Ashish positioned the car parallel to the Mercedes, with the left end of Mercedes straight in line with his seat, and moved the wheel complete right and started releasing the brakes slowly. Once the car turned 45 degrees to the right, he made a complete turn towards left, the vehicle got now parked well behind the blue Mercedes. The examiner chuckled and said “Very good”. The words of examiner were like a soothing balm to him. He felt motivated and kept driving with all attention. Then he drove on the highway and in 30 Zone and then did an emergency brake.All went well and the Exam was soon to end. It was already 40 minutes since the exam started and now he was instructed to drive back to the Exam center. with the anticipation of joy, he started driving back and now the exam center was just 200 meters away. Thoughts of making a celebration in the evening with other friends were running in his mind. He saw a big “stop sign” at the signal and stopped. Ah, the Signal was green and the car drivers behind him started honking loudly. His heartbeat turned faster and his blood froze, he released the break in an act of frenzy and the car crossed the waiting line but suddenly the signal had turned red. The examiner groaned. He failed the exam yet again and that too just 2 minutes before the exam could have come to an end. Hard luck. His eyes turned misty and in a daze he reached home, drowned in painful thoughts, quite unaware of surroundings.
Winter had set in. Days had become shorter and darker. The trees now stood naked. The bloom of flowers gone and the flutter of Butterflies was nowhere to be seen. Devasted with two successive failures, Ashish almost lost the hope of getting the driving license. Divya tried to console him but in vain. one day he came early from office and started reading a poem.
Pessimism achieves no success over persistence.
Temporary defeat never spells total failure
The greatest failure is the failure to try.
Alter your attitude and you will change your life.
The Spring does arrive after the Winter .
The verses filled him with a sense of optimism and he felt a sudden burst of energy in his body. He called up Matthias and fixed the date for the exam.
On 14th April, he turned up for his exam. The examiner, this time, was a relatively young man in his thirties. He looked very jovial and friendly. He had sharp features and a big nose. He asked a few technical questions, which Ashish answered correctly and once he motioned to start, Ashish revved the car to Life. The Examiner looked at Ashish and asked him to drive right and take a U-turn. Ashish followed him and then he drove the car straight and reached the Parking space of Penny, a retail store. ” Park the Car between the row of two vehicles” ordered the examiner. Ashish gently parked the car between the two vehicles. The Examiner looked at him, grinned and uttered “Well done” . ” Now drive to the highway” he ordered. Ashish drove the car towards the highway. he looked behind his shoulder, in the mirror and then swerved in the left lane. The examiner got impressed and chuckled. For the next twenty minutes, he drove in the city and followed all the rules, right before left, gave priority when he was needed. And now the examiner demanded, ” Drive back to Exam Center”. Ashish moved to the middle of the lane and as soon as the signal flashed green, he hit the accelerator with the kick of his right foot. A black Audi suddenly raced to turn left from the opposite direction, Ashish hit the brakes with all his might, the car screeched to a halt and a collision was averted. The examiner heaved a sigh of relief. It was not Ashish’s mistake but of the Audi driver. Ashish reached the exam center, his heart was pounding faster, his face turned red, his fingers were shaking – what will happen now? will the examiner give him the license today? All sorts of thoughts started running in his mind. The examiner looked at him and smiled “congratulations, you have passed”. Ashish was overwhelmed with emotions, he got so happy that he could not say one word instantly, he got lost for a minute in the delirium of joy. He clenched his fists and moved it up and down to perhaps announce the world that he had, at last, made it.
Spring had finally arrived. On his way back home, he saw bright yellow daffodils swaying gently in wind , trees studded with new leaves, and butterflies fluttering. Divya hugged him tight when he reached home and said “get the car and we would drive this summer to Switzerland”.