Testimonials from former Students
My main aim of taking driving classes was to learn Right-Hand-Side driving, get familiar with the road signs and rules in the USA and be comfortable driving at high speeds. All my wishes were catered to by Amit in the 5-6 classes I took from him. Amit has completely perfected the art of teaching people like me, who used to drive in India. He was gracious enough to let me schedule all the driving lessons in a time slot that was convenient for me. Finally, his video references were a very good revision just before the test. To conclude, there is no doubt that IIT Bombay would be proud of having an alumnus such as Amit. Here is my sincere thanks and wishing him the best for his future.
Submitted by a student while pursuing his Ph.D. in Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Having driven in India before and that too a while ago, it was almost a fresh start coupled with the "Indian driving habits" like sneaking into gaps, being forever defensive and not travelling at high speeds that plagued my skills. Amit removed all that! His classes were absolutely necessary for me to pass my road test exam without a glitch. Not only did he accommodate my schedule, he was also highly patient at repeating instructions and pointing out some precise mistakes that I made early on and prevented me from making it a habit. His parking lessons were immaculate with accurate techniques that made it a cakewalk to park any car of any size. Moreover, his constant encouragement and some tips to make your driving smooth make it a very good learning experience. I not only learnt how to drive safely but also confidently which would definitely help me in the long run. I like the fact that the classes were not some boring, monotonous lecture but full of interesting driving tips, lot of laughter and fun which included long drives on roads I had never been on before. All in all, I think Amit's classes are indispensable for anyone wanting a driving license, experienced driver or not. Its the best way to start off driving in the USA. I wish him all the best for his endeavors!
Submitted by Nita Chandrasekhar while pursuing her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering in Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
I had little or no experience driving before coming here, and I got in touch with Amit to learn driving. He was everything you can expect from a good instructor - patient, calm, helpful, professional along with a good sense of humor. Over the days of learning from him, I witnessed a distinct change in my driving abilities - from jerky, uncomfortable starts and stops and mini-battles with the steering wheel (:D), to almost envisaging the steering wheel as an extension of the driver. He was very encouraging and positive throughout the process. I would definitely recommend him to anyone who wants to learn driving.
Submitted by Kavya while pursuing her M.S. in Computer Science in Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
I had my struggles getting past the bureaucracy of the DDS offices; almost to the point that I was convinced about never getting a license in the US. But after 10 visits spread over more than 500 days, when I finally got the opportunity to test, I nailed it! And the credit goes to Amit. I had little or no driving experience coming in as a student at Tech. But Amit did a wonderful job at not only teaching me the necessary skills, but also perfecting my outlook towards driving. He is an intelligent driver and an even better teacher. If you are wondering why I would associate “intelligence” with driving and not simply “skill”, it’s because driving is not only about how well you are driving, but also observing and understanding how others are. This is the most valuable lesson I have learnt from Amit. He is always attentive and has valuable advice throughout the sessions – be it about driving, flying (his other passion), and cars in general, etc. But even when he is not speaking, there’s a lot that you learn from his calmness and composure. It’s easy to teach how a steering behaves and what the brake does, but with Amit you get to learn a lot more than that.
Submitted by Aditya Kunduri, Alumni from Georgia Institute of Technology (M.B.A.), Atlanta, GA, USA.
I have driven in India before coming to Georgia Tech, so I feel my testimonial would be more relevant to people who are like me. When you have prior experience and want to drive here, the part of handling the vehicle will not be an issue. But you will observe that the driving practices here are al little different to those in India, those that got so deeply rooted in your subconscious mind. So the big part would be to forget some of the practices that you have got habituated to for so long which, I feel, can be quite hard.
But when you are driving sitting next to Amit, you are with a guy who can predict your next moves. I think it is because of his experience in teaching so many people he knows all the common actions that we would unknowingly do which could prove to be big violations here. And his driving course covers almost all kind of situations and roads that you could face while driving here that at the end the driving test, if you are required to take it, will just look like another simple formality than something to be anxious about. I feel this shows his high level of commitment in meeting professional standards.
On top of it all, he's a very polite and friendly guy which makes the classes even more pleasurable. I wish he could complete his pilot training soon so that we can look forward to taking flying lessons too ;).
Wishing him all the best
Submitted by Srinivasa Manohar Karlapalem while pursuing his M.S. in Computer Science in Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
I took driving classes from Amit in July-Aug '09 and want to talk a bit about my experience. I am sure you have learnt by reading other testimonials that Amit is extremely PATIENT and PASSIONATE about teaching driving which makes him an excellent teacher!
One more thing that I liked most about Amit's driving classes was that he provided reasoning for every driving maneuver unlike other instructors who usually provide manual-rote-lessons.It really helps when you know why you are doing something than blindly doing something.
Another good think about Amit was that he was extremely accommodating with time schedules. I was under a time crunch and he took out time from his schedule to see to it that I was given adequate driving classes. And, I highly recommend the driving videos that Amit provides!
Hope this helps you in making a decision!
Submitted by Swati Rao, Alumni from Georgia Institute of Technology (M.S. in Chemical Engineering), Atlanta, GA, USA.
Amit is patience personified. He adapts his teaching techniques by gauging the learning curve and skill level of a student. Being a mechanical engineer, he is well versed with the mechanics of driving and makes it an analytical learning experience. He is understanding about his student's mistakes and will try to correct not only the whats but also the whys. He is very professional and methodical in his teaching. Moreover, he makes it fun learning driving. All in all, it was a fun experience not just learning driving but also seeing the sights and sounds of Atlanta never seen before.
Submitted by Priyanka Prabhu, Alumni from Georgia Institute of Technology (M.S. in Computer Science), Atlanta, GA, USA.
I started with close to no driving experience and after practicing with Amit for a few weeks I had no problem passing my driver's exam. Amit is a very methodical and effective teacher. He corrected my mistakes early on before they became a habit and gave me confidence by encouraging me when I performed a task correctly. He was always calm and focused on my driving, issuing instructions and suggestions when necessary. Moreover his talkative and friendly personality made the whole experience very enjoyable.
The bottom line is that if you follow what Amit has to teach, you will not have a problem getting your driver's license, learn to drive correctly and enjoy the experience.
Submitted by Emmanuel Haldoupis while pursuing his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering in Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
When you sit next to Amit while taking a driving lesson, you will be surprised by how logical he makes everything appear.Whatever he tells you regarding anything that you have to follow will have a strong reason behind it.I am surprised by Amit's deep knowledge of the smallest of things that you would never have thought of while driving on a road.Enough cannot be said about Amits virtues. He is an amazing combination of intelligence and patience along with being a very nice person and is your best bet to get you driving on the roads of Atlanta.
Submitted by a student while pursuing his M.S. in Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
To start off, Thanks! This is for many reasons. One, for helping me get my driver's license sooner than I expected. Second and most importantly, for the overall experience of driving under your guidance. There are two things about Amit, that I would like to share and which I believe would help understand Amit before starting driving lessons. Having handed over the car, he trusts his students and particularly establishes a comfort level which gives them the independence while driving. An instance wherein I was particularly impressed was during the parking lessons when Amit used cones (which are used as guideways in the test) to simulate a tougher-than-test setup, which without doubt put me at ease during the actual test. He took me to various places and at various times of the day, to make sure I get a feel of what driving in a city is like - this surely is a confidence booster. This is one of various ways where Amit proves to be unique in his approach. Having said this, I ascertain that learning to drive with Amit would be a great experience.
Good luck with all you pursuits. Cheers!
Submitted by Krishna Parthasarathi while pursuing his M.S. in Industrial & Systems Engineering in Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Before I started taking driving classes from Amit, good driving to me was defined by the safe driving track record of my father (One minor accident with no injuries from 1992 till date!)..Thanks to the excellent training by Amit I am now extremely confident of matching (if not breaking) my father's record!! After my road test, the examiner particularly waited to congratulate Amit on teaching me parking absolutely perfectly. I would like to quote the exact examiner's words to me - "Your driving instructor has done a very good job with teaching you parking!" Thanks to Amit's very well refined and thorough teaching skills coupled with a very friendly and patient attitude, I had the best learning experience ever!
Submitted by Leena Makhija while pursuing her M.B.A. from the College of Management at Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Amit is an extremely nice and dedicated teacher, very calm and poised with loads of patience. He plans around your pace of learning and tells you exactly where you have to work on and how to get better at driving. Best thing about his teaching is, he doesn't scare you when you panic or make a mistake. He deftly handles the situation from going out of hand and later tells you what went wrong and how to avoid it when you are over the situation. He made learning how to drive, a very comfortable and happy experience for a first time driver like me. He edges you to concentrate on learning fast and his teaching drives out nervousness and brings in a sense of confidence.
Many a times he emphasized that learning to be a good and safe driver is far important than getting a license and that is what he is interested in teaching people. Since the focus here is in improving your overall driving and efficiency as opposed to the expensive driving lessons imparted by schools targeted at getting a license, you end up learning a lot more than what you need to get the official permit for driving.
The whole experience was good fun, since he even lets you choose where you would like to drive sometimes. Rest of the drives, are carefully planned by him to make you handle various situations on the road.
I told him already and I'd like to mention here again that he'll make a perfect professor. :)
Wishing him the very best.
-- Sowjanya
Patience personified-that's Amit. Many others have already spoken about his methodology of teaching. But I guess he had to formulate an entirely new methodology for me. From helping me overcome my fear of moving vehicles and my mental block, to encouraging me to carry on after I failed, Amit has done it all. He might have not put so much of effort in any other student. He showed heights of patience till I got my license and never once did he let off steam. Had it not been for him, there would have been a big hole in my husband's pocket by now.
Thanks Amit and all the best.
Submitted by Sukonya Gogoi while pursuing her M.B.A. from the College of Management at Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
"June 6th 2009 (I got my license today!)
I really look up to Amit for the patience with which he teaches his students to drive. He is an excellent instructor and I feel very selfless too. As against the commercialized driving schools who would always be in a rush to get DONE with you, Amit is altruistic in his approach. Time spent on the road is not the concern, driving ability and confidence IS :). Since the underlying principles of his approach are so commendable the end result is definitely a safer and more confident driver (and the turn out includes me and many of his friends). He adds to this the "fear conquering" technique where he asks you to do all the things you are scared of on the road; like driving on the interstate, overtaking trucks etc etc. He pays personal attention to your problems and helps you go over them again and again and even honors your word even if it something like coffee or lunch :P. I am sure if you have come this far...reading this...you should have no doubts about asking him to teach you...one last fact that could turn the table...I am his 7th student who got his/her license in a span of one year from his last birthday to this one on the 7th of June.
Wish him the very best for all his endeavors...and a sincere hearthfelt Thanks and maybe an advanced Birthday wish too!
Submitted by Surabhi Diwan while pursuing her M.S. in Computer Science in Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
"...The main thing he teaches to people is to take their fears far away, and follow the BASICS even if they are not needed. And that is the key for him to teach the things so fast and so accurate. Now, I feel that
I am a much better car driver, when I see some other people not
following the basics, and doing silly mistakes on the roads, or even
in the parking lot..."
Excerpt from the full testimonial submitted by Dr. Shree Prakash Tiwari, Post Doctoral Fellow, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
"As someone who has taken driving instructions from professional
driving instructors as well, I can say with confidence that Amit is as
good of an instructor as there can be. His imperturbable calm, sharp
thinking and acuteness of judgment in preventing any dangerous
situations make him an ideal person for this job. Needles to say that
he has a strong passion for driving and is an excellent driver himself.
Always capable of devising heuristics and providing tips that would go
a long way in improving ones driving skills. It was great experience
having him as an instructor and I am sure there are many other people
who share my views."
Submitted by Shardool S. while pursuing his M.S. in Computer Science in Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
"Amit is one of the finest driving instructor one could have. He exactly knows where one can go wrong and would emphasize the importance of basic rules one needs to follow while driving. Once you get the hang of it, you would never go wrong. He would let you take your own judgement unless you are making some big mistake and then he would point out your mistakes, if any. This helps you in realizing the mistakes you have or would have made in that particular situation. And the best part is he would take you take to different places everytime so as to enhance your driving experince along with sight seeing..!"
Submitted by Divyanshu Agrawal while pursuing his M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering in Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Interesting Fact
Amit has enjoyed providing driving lessons to 29 of his friends between June 2008 - December 2010
