My adventures with the GPS lady!

The pandemic has shaped unimagined endeavours to flower and fructify. There was an unavoidable visit to the hospital for my daughter and son-in-law. Although both are expert drivers they were caught up with work and virtual meetings and I offered to drive them down. They sounded relieved at the suggestion. But the issue was how I would find my way back, being unfamiliar with the roads of a big city like Bengaluru. I have always opted for the taxi services or been driven around by family members.

The issue was quickly resolved as my son in law enabled the GPS on my phone and punched in the to and fro addresses. The onward journey was smooth enough with both the virtual and offline GPS (my son-in-law) guiding me. The passengers were politely dropped off and I started back home, alone with the GPS lady (GPSL) and the husband . It was smooth enough going till halfway when I was guided to take a slight left and I turned at a sharp bend and drove into an alley leading to several narrower ones.

I knew instinctively that I had taken the wrong left turn. A smart u-turn and I was back on the main road but I was confused as the GPSL guided me in the opposite direction. I later realised that it was veering me for a u-turn some meters down. It was a relief when I sighted the house gate which elicited an "excellent" remark from my son- in-law when my husband informed him the good news.

It was evening and time to pick up the duo. I was about to leave when the husband made up his mind to come along. I set the GPS and the lady's familiar voice started with the first instructions. I felt that nothing could go wrong and I drove confidently along the first stretch of a familiar road until an intersection was reached and I was guided to take a right.

Now there were two lefts, two rights and a u-turn. I frantically asked the husband and he lifted his head from the cellphone and pointed his finger to the sharp right asking me to follow the BMTC bus. There was no time for thinking as the traffic had piled up on all sides and the husband roared, "Go!". Go I did behind the bus and ended up at the road leading to the bus terminus. The husband continued to take refuge in his cellphone and I was on my own. I quickly pulled on to the main road and continued onwards without a clue, but the GPS lady(GPSL) was omniscient.

Although puzzled at my trying to go back home through another route, she quickly understood what was happening and started guiding me through congested lanes and a busy market area, where I had to veer between the proverbial devil and the deep sea - the BBMP railings and a deep trench - until finally we came on to the main road.

I requested the now annoyed husband to text that we would be late and he chastised me for having informed the waiting duo a timeline at all. With no repartee on hand I wished for some solitude at that moment. The GPSL instructed me to take a right but just in time I spotted the right turn board had a slash across it.

I ignored the husband's bidding to turn there anyway and drove straight as I had seen a cop pulling up an errant driver. The GPSL made some sort of an exclamation but started resolutely to guide me through strange sounding roads and circles which I traversed with implicit trust in her. Finally when we sighted the destination it seemed like an unparalleled victory. But the GPSL may not have had a driver like me, ever!