Yelläks /ˈyæl•eks/

My international driving license which was also valid in India, expired. To get a new driving license which would be valid for another 3 years, I would have to go to Germany and pay something like Rs.1500. Usually I would not mind not to have one, but due to insurance purposes a driving license is necessary, otherwise the insurance company will not pay anything in case of an accident. So I went to the R.T.O. in Yeshwantpur (Bangalore) and with the help of an agent, who stood for me in the queue, I got a learner’s license first. However there are a few obstacles in the way. For instance I needed to pass the written test. To prepare myself for the test, the agent gave me a few paper sheets. On these 4 pages most of the traffic rules including signs were summarized. He told me to learn the signs and after around 10 minutes he dragged me into the room in which the test was conducted.

Out of 15 points that were reachable, 10 were necessary to pass the test. When I saw the question paper, a strange sensation went down my spine. Out of 15 question only 5 were about signs. Other questions were something about the maximum allowance of particles in the exhaust of diesel engines to pass the environmental tests. That section I never read, since it is in Kannada (the local language in Karnataka) and so far I did not learn it and I took (correctly) the golden middle of the three possible answers.
A poor fellow sitting next to me, struggled in the same way. So we exchanged the sheets, since the examiners were busy giving new incoming people the sheets or to correct the turned in answer sheets. To my best knowledge I filled out his gaps and he did the same with my sheet. Then he returned my sheet, took his and went to turn it in. He got 6 points and hence failed the exam. After hearing this, I went through the gaps that I had previously, and corrected them according to my opinion. I got 13 points

In case you want to see some signs, I put some of them into the gallery below, but I removed their meanings. So feel free to leave a comment in which you guess the meanings of the signs.

[Show as slideshow]

Here is another question taken from the exam:

If you want to turn left, what do you do?

1. Stretch out the right arm and rotate it clockwise.
2. Stretch out the right arm and rotate it anticlockwise.
3. Stretch out the right arm and waive it forward and backward.

Any suggestions? Unfortunately the most obvious answer was not available: Use the indicator on the left side.

30 days after I received the learner’s license, I was eligible to get the real driving license. So I went to the R.T.O. again and faced 2 options:

1. Either I go back to the institute to get my bike while the agent organizes a car. With the examiner together we go to the test ground where all my knowledge about hand signs is checked. After that I can apply for the driving license.
2. I pay Rs.1000 bribe and can apply for the driving license directly.

What I did is up to your imagination.