Anuj Agarwal demonstrates driving with the joystick, while friend Prakash Kaluka looks over his shoulder. Picture by Aranya Sen

Scene One. November 2001. A crowd gathers around a white Maruti Zen at the Sarat Bose Road-AJC Bose Road crossing. ?Hey, no steering wheel,? someone exclaims.

Scene Two. November 2005. A crowd gathers around the same white Maruti Zen, parked on Elgin Road. ?Hey, no wheel and no brake, accelerator or clutch pedals,? goes a cry of disbelief.

It?s the same car and the same hands-off driver, but a lot has changed in four years. Auto enthusiast Anuj Agarwal had done away with the steering wheel in 2001. He has now done away with the pedals, too.

All that Agarwal?s drive-by-wire concept car has is a joystick ? the kind that video gamers use to shoot aliens or race past the check flag ? to steer, honk, accelerate, halt? in other words, everything to navigate the city streets.

On the road, the modified vehicle looks and feels like any other car, taking a sharp turn in front of Eden Gardens and sending the speedometer soaring on the AJC Bose Road flyover with equal ease.

Driving is effortless, with a little pressure on the joystick ? plugged into the car in a slot beside the dashboard ? speeding or slowing down the vehicle or a button push activating the indicator. ?It requires only one hand, making it ideal for the disabled as well,? points out Agarwal, 36.

Replacing the steering wheel was the toughest part for the heavy-engineering-products dealer. ?It?s the most hazardous object. Often, in case of an accident, the driver gets squashed by the wheel.?

After the steering column was removed, it was time for some reverse engineering. ?I ascertained how much space I had and the power required? around 300 rounds per minute,? explains the St Xavier?s College science graduate.

Prakash Kaluka, a friend and an auto-parts dealer, then threw open the doors of his warehouse and Agarwal?s search for off-the-shelf replacements began.

The test bed was Agarwal?s 1997 Zen but the principle he uses can apply to any car.

?After the wheel was removed, I started exploring the other controls, like brake, accelerator and transmission, and did away with them one by one.? The drive-by-wire car was ready to roll around May this year.

?The concept isn?t new. Several global motor giants like GM are experimenting with it. However, it?s very novel and ahead of the times in India,? Agarwal explains.

Customising brake sensitivity, maximum speed limit and radius of turn are already possible in the Zen. Agarwal plans to keep adding intelligence to the car now. Next up: obstruction sensor, auto parking, biometric ignition, voice activation?

But it?s still some time before an ordinary car turns into a Batmobile or a KITT (remember Knight Rider?), rescuing their owners from tight spots. ?That will continue to be science fiction for some time,? smiles Agarwal.

For now, the plan is to take the car to the Delhi auto expo. ?Patenting is a long and expensive process and we?re wondering whether it?s worth it. Rather, the car would help demonstrate the kind of technology we?re capable of.?