I am a country boy, having spent my growing up years in Nagpur bicycling to school on its almost empty roads. So even after living in Mumbai for so many years, at heart, I have never been comfortable with the big-city life and its mad traffic. And I must thank my stars that driving in Mumbai has not yet made me crazy or given me a heart attack.
Of all the things that cause stress and anxiety – a heavy workload, financial troubles, and a small cluttered home, to name a few– commuting to work is one of the most universally loathed. And if that commuting means negotiating the chaos of Mumbai’s roads then nothing is more detestable.
But since April this year, around the time of my fifty-ninth birthday, driving has become not just enjoyable, but productive and inspirational as well! The change was instant. All it took to achieve this miraculous transformation was just a few minutes and a few hundred rupees and lo behold, my two-hour driving commute has now become the most relaxing part of my day!
I am sure by now you are more than eager to know how this happened. The transformational event was my introduction to the world of Audiobooks!
In April, I happened to discover this life-changing gem of an app called AUDIBLE and downloaded it on my Android smartphone. After a few free sample listens, I was adequately impressed and became a monthly subscriber for a modest cost of Rs. 199. With a subscription, you get a monthly book-credit, which means you can download any one book free of cost each month.
Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiographical book – The story of my experiments with truth– had been languishing on my bookshelf and my reading list for years. I decided to download its Audible version. The next morning, as I set out for my rush-hour commute, I opened the Audible app, rolled up the car windows, turned on the car AC, and tapped the play button to start the narration of the book – by one Mr Sagar Arya. The narrator’s clear and impressive voice with an easy comforting Indian accent brought the words of the book to life.
By the time the first chapter of the book came to an end, I had already gone past the worst bottleneck of my commute through Dadar. Normally, by this time, whilst passing this stretch of bumper-to-bumper traffic and jay-walking pedestrians, I would’ve honked at least 3-4 times, tried to manoeuvre my car ahead of another car whose driver was trying to do the same, looked at my watch several times, and on the worst days cursed a few rash cabbies.
But today was different. I had done none of the above! My demeanour had remained calm and all that I was interested in was the narration of the next chapter of the book.
The Bumper-to-Bumper Traffic at Dadar
On the only free stretch of my commute at Bandra reclamation, where I can speed up in top gear, I was surprised to find myself slowing down because I wanted to complete listening to the chapter. Alas, I reached the Hospital before the chapter ended!
The short 1km Free stretch on Bandra Reclamation
The return drive during the evening rush hour was equally enjoyable – as the book narrator cruised effortlessly through pages after pages of the book – I cruised at an enviable speed of 10-20 km per hour through Mumbai’s most relaxing and enjoyable, albeit chaotic and noisy traffic.
I completed Gandhi’s Autobiographical book in just 8 days of driving and my next listen was Yuval Noah Harari’s ‘Sapiens’. I downloaded Harari’s best-seller for free with my Audible monthly subscription (the paperback version costs INR 395). Additionally, subscribers get discounts on audible books if purchased.
Since my entry into the world of Audiobooks (via Audible) I am completing at least two books each month, and my backlog of books-to-read is diminishing at a never-before pace.
The slower the Mumbai traffic the faster I go through my reading list. I am currently listen-reading Robin Sharma’s inspirational ‘The Monk who sold his Ferrari’.
Recently, I made another discovery on Audible – that of podcasts. The discovery was by way of a riveting audible piece – ‘A Conversation with Christopher Hitchens – interviewed by Salman Rushdie. That day’s drive to work was one of my most enjoyable drives in recent times.
In these past months, I have introduced many friends and colleagues to the joy and usefulness of listening to books. A surgeon friend rang back to thank me profusely for my recommendation and another colleague who travels by train says that she can now listen-read books even if she doesn’t get a place to sit in the jam-packed local trains of Mumbai.
Audiobooks should be a boon to the otherwise hassled Mumbaikar and commuters in any other big city.
Featured Image source: amazon.in
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.audible.application&hl=en_US
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