Palliachen’s Humorous Question That Instantly Slowed Down a Speeding Driver

When Palliachen, Fr. Abraham Pallivathukal, first visited Oman, a family get-together was organized in Ghala. The event continued late into the night, and after it concluded, we were fortunate enough to drive Palliachen back to the church residence in Ruwi.

As we made our way there at what we considered a perfectly reasonable speed, Palliachen shared this humorous story.

According to Fr. Abraham Pallivathukal, during one of his trips abroad, a man offered to drive him in an extremely expensive luxury car. The vehicle sped along the highway while its proud owner enthusiastically explained one feature after another. Palliachen, accustomed to the more modest pace of travel back home, eventually asked, “Do we really need to go this fast?”

The driver took that as an invitation to continue his presentation, describing even more advanced features of the car. After listening for some time, Palliachen grew weary of the endless display of the car’s capabilities. Anyone would have.

As Palliachen wondered how he might bring the conversation to an end, the car began crossing a large bridge over a river. Suddenly, an idea struck him.

Pointing toward the water below, he calmly asked, “If this car were to plunge into that river right now, does it have any system that would help us survive?”

The effect was immediate.

Palliachen later recalled that the driver remained silent for the rest of the journey and drove much more carefully until they reached their destination.

I laughed when I first heard the story. Yet, when I later had the privilege of driving Palliachen myself, I noticed that I too drove at a much more moderate pace. Oman may not have enough roadside water for anyone to drown in, but ever since hearing that story, I have occasionally felt that avoiding flyovers might not be a bad idea as well.

Pious Thalakottour, Oman