The first drive on snow - hilarious in hindsight

The month was early December and the year was 99. My wife and I were on our way to Kufri in Himachal Pradesh in a nicely broken in Daewoo Cielo Nexia (5000 km). Our first long distance travel on our own, in a car. I won't tell you how I managed to get this vehicle but it wasn't mine. Someone gave it to me in Delhi and his driver dropped us off near the exit of Delhi at around 2 pm and told us: follow this road straight and you will reach Chandigarh.

I was supposed to return the car without any major dent after the trip.

So off we went. Those days I didn't have a mobile. And I don't think roaming etc were available also. I was used to a rickety old Maruti 800 and that too in the lanes and bylanes of Calcutta. So this four-laned highway (in those days one of the best roads in the country) and a new Cielo was a thrilling new experience to me. The speedo never dipped below 100 and frequently touched 130.

Finally when Chandigarh was about 50 km or so and the sun was about to set we stopped for some tea near a roadside dhaba - our first stop. The guy told me to push the car a bit behind so that his shop's front wasn't blocked.

Sure thing. I must oblige the fellow.

I got into the car and looked at the gear knob for the first time. Ooops. The reverse gear is not quite where it is supposed to be (extreme right and then down, as we are used to in most of our vehicles). In fact it is to the left of first gear and the line marking it from the neutral point is slightly curved.

So I pushed the stick in that direction - even with a swoop to trace that slightly circular path. Nothing doing, the car moved forward - meaning it was in first gear. I tried some ten times or so. Profusely sweating. Nervous. Even if I do oblige the dhabawala for now by going forward, what am I supposed to do if I get stuck somewhere where I need to back out? Chandigarh is still a good 50 km or so, the road is dark and much narrower now.

Monisha assured. Don't worry we will push the car back if it really comes to that.

So the last leg was driven very carefully. The road was just a two-laned highway and whenever I spotted a stationary truck I was overtaking it with lots of space left in the front. No way do I want to get stuck in a place where backing out might be the only option.

Somehow we managed to reach this hotel in Chandigarh (where we were booked in advance) without any need to back out. But I don't want to get in. No way can you park a car in a hotel without knowing how to engage the reverse gear. So a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.

Leaving Monisha in the backseat of the car and after parking it outside the hotel I went in to check if my booking was confirmed. The car was facing a wall and whoever drives it has to reverse it first. I did it deliberately. They said yes sir, you are booked. Where is your car? I said it's parked outside; could you please get your driver to bring it in? I am too tired to go now.

The valet appeared. Took the keys from me. I followed him silently at a distance. Just as he was about to enter the car I came running from behind - "wait wait I have something in the car that I need." I sat on the front passenger seat. He started the car and reversed it immediately.

I watched the process intently but couldn't understand what exactly he did. So now I asked him casually - show me how you did that? He showed - simple. You hold the knob between your fingers palm facing up, push the knob in a bit with your thumb and pull the other half up a bit and then push the lever to the extreme left and then up - it is reverse. Hoooooray. Now I know it.

Next morning we started off for Kufri. Confident that now I know how to reverse a Cielo. One of the front page news was yesterday Shimla had its first snowfall. I had planned already to bypass Shimla and a friend had told me to turn right after Solan (the small town that is always full of that sweet smell due to its brewery) and reach Kufri via Chail (the erstwhile summer capital of the Maharaja of Patiala). This way you don't have to go via Shimla.

It is a lovely picturesque road. Almost like a private road. Virtually no vehicles. A bit narrow but lovely. When we stopped for lunch in a small restaurant we overheard them discussing that the road ahead of Chail is closed due to heavy snow. Our faces paled. First reaction was let's go back to Shimla. But then we reasoned that if we find the road is indeed blocked then we can always turn back from there.

Cross the bridge when you come to it. It has always been my motto in life.

We had enough time in our hand. We kept going on and on. Finally after Chail we started seeing snow. Initially only near the bends and that too on the side of the road and in the shady parts. Finally we realised we were actually driving on hard snow, technically it is perhaps called ice. At least two feet deep. There were deep tracks for the wheels like in village dirt roads. For about five km I drove on that scary road but along the track made by drivers before me. On second gear. My brain said I should not go for hard braking. But since there wasn't a single soul on the road there was no question of using any brake and I was driving probably at 10 kmph.

Finally we reached Kufri. It was white all around. Although Shimla got its first snow yesterday, this region had obviously seen the first snow much before that. Anyway, there was no problem with locating Kufri Resort. It was bang on the road. On your right hand side. And I stopped near their gate.

The gate was wide open right in front of us but a steep road inside - covered in god knows how many feet deep snow/ice - was staring at us. You have to climb straight up - a very short distance of perhaps 150 feet and then turn sharp right for another 150 feet or so.

Those who have seen this place without snow may not be able to understand how dangerous it was looking especially to a first timer. I was really scared. I was wondering what happens if the car can't negotiate that bend and starts sliding backwards?

I spent some ten minutes there. Completely stationary. Pondering over various things in life. Finished two cigarettes. Talked to my ego. Explaining it "beta - walk this short distance up and let the resort driver take care of the car". But Mr Ego told me very firmly, "look at those tracks on the snow. Umpteen number of people have driven on this snow before you. You still want to walk? What a ridiculously coward guy you are."

Finally Mr Ego won. I drove up. First gear. And the car and the tyres obliged pretty fine. I mean nothing dramatic happened and I heaved that proverbial sigh of relief once I reached the top.

I parked the car in the portico and never even looked at it for the next four days.

While coming back, the resort manager offered to help me with a driver to cross the snow zone. But Mr Ego politely refused the offer. I came back without any worry or any drama.

Another old lesson learnt first hand - it is good to be cautious and even be fearful. But only for the first time.

I have the pics in hard copy format and therefore I can’t load them up as I don’t have a scanner at home. By the way, subsequently we went with that car back to Delhi and then to Agra and Fatehpur Sikri etc and returned it to the owner with no dent.

A bit of an explanation as to why I resorted to all those tricks to learn the reverse gear secret. I have never had a problem admitting to people, even strangers, that I don't know how to do a particular thing. But here if I did that someone might think I had stolen the car. Although I had all the papers for the car and a letter from the owner explaining who I was and why I had the car with me, I thought it would be unnecessarily inviting curiosity from strangers and I might even be hauled to the police station etc etc.

I am happy that it never ocurred to the hotel valet as to how I didn't know the basic about the car's operation. Thank God he wasn't too intelligent and was happy and proud in his thought that he could teach something to an educated guest to his hotel. Of course I tipped him more than a normal guest would.