I learned driving at the young age of 29 right after the pandemic lockdowns ended in 2020. Those lessons were with an intent to get a driver's license so that I could use that as a way to prove my identity without having to carry my passport everywhere. There were 10 lessons, each one hour long. The instructor was quite decent and did his best to ensure I won't hit anyone on the road. When it came to the driving test at the RTO though, I was not allowed to drive. The driving school had a deal with the RTO to fake the driving test. I got my driver's license as I hoped to, but never really drove after that. Once kit got his dad's old i10 shipped to Bangalore in 2021, he started driving regularly. I was too afraid to drive.
Five years and many internal monologues later, I have decided to restart my driving attempt. This time I am using another driving instructor who has a different approach to teaching driving. I am re-learning the things I had forgotten. The classes are more intense, each class lasts for about 3–4 hours. I have driven our i10 (with the instructor sitting shotgun) for more than 200km at this point. My instincts have gotten better, I no longer panic and press accelerator instead of brake when some cow or auto shows up from nowhere in front of the car. My biggest fear still is hitting a two-wheeler on the road, since they seem to just crop up from all directions with the sole purpose of hitting a slow moving car.
The thing that remains now is getting over my fear and just driving without assistance.