What would you do if your Driver opened his Door at 80 Kilometers per Hour?

As I already said, I had invited a lot of people to come to India when I was on Europe tour in 2005. Our Ashram was open to welcome anybody who had the wish to see the country and spend some days with us, getting to know the culture from within. In 2005, one of my friends of several years also decided to come. We had met at an Indian restaurant in Mainz, where I was staying as I was friends with the owner. This couple were regular customers there and we became friends. I had visited them many times and now finally he would come to India. It is his first hours in this country of which he keeps on telling whenever he thinks of his trip. Let me tell you why.

My friend is British but lives in Germany. He was used to the soberness of the British as well as the organizing abilities of the German. When he arrived in India he was directly and immediately confronted with the overwhelming emotionality of Indians and the never-ending chaos of Indian traffic.

Actually, he first of all had a warm welcome by my brother Purnendu who had come to pick him up. He was very happy about that as there were crowds of taxi-drivers at the entrance, all shouting for him to come with them. Purnendu went with him to their taxi into which the driver placed his suitcase. They sat into the car and started. Once they left the airport area, our British friend clutched the sides of his car seat, holding on as if it was for dear life. Why? Normal Delhi traffic had started! The driver had to find his way in between bicycle rickshaws, other cars, buses and trucks but also pedestrians, dogs, donkeys and bulls.

Once they reached the highway, he thought it was getting a bit better. There was a bit less traffic and less pedestrians – although they still crossed the road at dangerous places. The car picked up on speed, now driving about 80 kilometers per hour, something my friend did not really deem necessary or wise. He started relaxing though as the crash he had expected every minute of the first hour did not happen. Then however something else happened:

The driver stretched out his hand towards the handle of his door and opened it! He leaned down towards the opening! My friend saw this much and screamed ‘NOOOO!’ in panic! The driver wanted to jump out of the driving car! What should he do? What would happen to the car? It would crash against a tree, another car, anything out there, HELP!

That was approximately the situation of his mind when he saw the driver open the door. Purnendu, hearing his scream turned around, shocked and looking for what had happened. The driver, who had spit out, just as he had planned to do and for what he had opened the door, came back up, closed the door and checked his rear mirror to check on his passenger – what had happened to him?

My friend’s heart was beating frantically. He had already played all scenarios in his mind of how one could get to the driver’s seat and take control over the car. When Purnendu asked him what had happened, he could reply only after a minute when the realization hit him: the driver had never wanted to commit suicide or jump out of the driving car! He had just spit out the tobacco and betel nut he had been chewing on!

It is this journey which confirmed for my friend that in India, anything can happen!