MY FIRST LIMOUSINE RIDE

 

(The photo i have managed to preserve so long, is low resolution. Else the chauffer's smile is revealing!)

We are standing outside a star hotel - me and the "kids"...and a white limo drives onto the driveway. Some "apparently famous" personality get outs and "walks on clouds" into the hotel while we await our cab.

I ask the "kids", "...guys did I tell you about the day I rode a limo?"
The boys look at each other and smile.

A knowing smile that says "..but we thought you only had coffee a while ago, not whiskey..."

"NO GUYS, I really did!" I insist, closing the cab door behind me.   
"Ok, baba, so tell us - what do they serve you in the Limousine? Is it expensive wine & whiskey with snacks? Does it have colourful lighting like they show in the movies with classical music and all? And...Is there a hostess too?"

I laughed out loud " ..hahahaha...believe it or not, I have no idea, but one thing I will tell you - I DID RIDE A LIMO - A swanky long and dark limo it was, back in Stockholm!"

"Wait, hear me out - this is the story..." 

Many many years ago...(kids thinking " there he goes again" wink wink), when I was working for an European multinational company, I used to represent a product division based in Sweden for its marketing activities in India.

We had been reasonably successful in launching these Swedish products in India, and I had been invited to Stockholm to represent the Indian organization and present its work to an international gathering of similar product marketing heads from different countries.

My reporting manager was the International Business Head, in charge of several geographies. As is customary, international visitors were always taken care of very well by our colleagues from the European Business Division. Since my visit this time involved a stay over the weekend, my reporting manager asked me if I was interested in going around Stockholm on Saturday. He said he would fix a car to pick me up and drive me around for a few hours. We often used to do the same when he visited us in India, so I happily accepted the offer.
Saturday morning, I was down at the hotel reception, waiting for the car to arrive.

Several times I went out to the driveway to see if my tourist taxi had arrived. There were several fancy cars outside, but no sign of my tourist taxi. After a bit of waiting - I approached the reception, enquiring whether my taxi had arrived. The receptionist looked puzzled. 
"Are you Mr.Purohit?" she asked,
"Yes, I am" I replied.

"Well, no wonder !! Now we found you.
Your Limousine is waiting outside for the last half an hour!"

 "But I am expecting a tourist taxi, not a Limousine" I said puzzled...

...and then it dawned on me. My very hospitable colleague had fixed a Limousine for me!!!

Coming from very simple roots, I had never even ridden a Merc leave aside a Limousine. So I was embarassed pink!
Also back home, as a 21 yr old young engineer,  I would often be assigned to go pickup company guests arriving on late night flights from Europe. And I used to happily do the needful, sitting next to the driver and sharing friendly banter while fetching the guests from the International Airport and delivering them to their hotels.

And here I was in Europe - with a whole Limousine to myself, not knowing what to do.
So, going by my instinct, I went to the Limo driver, introduced myself, went around and opening the door on the other side, sat in the seat next to the driver!
"Come lets see your city!" I said.
I absolutely loved it, especially with an occasional street-head turn to see who was in the "empty Limo".

The driver told me many stories about the Viking Ship which sank on its inaugural day, the prison on the hill side, the assassination of PM Olof Palme as he walked back home after a movie, the underground drinking places in Gamla stan...and so on. I had a great time. 

But I think - this must have been for the first time in his career, and possibly the last time ever, that someone hired his Limo and the guest sat next to him and not in the "back of the limousine"! I am quite sure !!

Universally, Children often make fun of their parents over silly stories from the past.

But this one takes the cake...I mean THE LIMO!  





(over the years, my most interesting and insightful conversations have been with the drivers, they give me a very real feel of the place, an unmatched view from the ground)



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