A small story of Bicycle

 My love with Bicycle started in 1990-91 when I was in grade 4 or 5. Those days we used to get Bicycles on rent, Rs2/- per hour. My dad used to take me out. He used to hold the cycle career from back, while I used to paddle. Dad used to say don’t worry, I am holding it keep paddling. One day I realized while paddling Dad’s voice getting thinner and he is still saying keep paddling don’t worry I am holding it. With corner or my eyes I saw he is far and standing and I am on my own paddling. That is the day I learned cycling. Years later he coached me riding scooter and then car... different story some other time. 

 

We could not buy a cycle then. Couple of years later I was in grade 8 or 9, one of my class mate Jai Prakash, he used to commute to school by cycle. A red one junior size. One day, he urged to sell his cycle. I was excited to get a second hand cycle opportunity, I discussed with my parents and my mom agreed, it was negotiated at Rs300/- for a deal. I started traveling the 1km distance from my home to school in that. Few weekend rounds in my colony. However, I kept chewing, champ chewing gum and kept collecting wrappers for a BSA SLR, I could not win ever.

Class 10 exam results came in 1995. As promised my dad and I went to Hero Jet showroom, I wanted a Hero Ranger, red one, however that was Rs1600/- and a middle class always negotiate the value for money and I settled down with a Hero Jet a black one at Rs1100/-. Junior cycle was already sold to third party by this time. This black hero jet became hero of my life. We used to bring it to our room at night, keeping it downstairs would mean you will not see it next morning. My brother used to keep rotating the paddle by hand, I used to apply game, while the Jet standing on its main stand. Jet and I used to go to bring my brother from school. My brother used to sit on the rod between seat and handle. I remember one day, I asked my brother to hold the handle while I paddle. And in few seconds we were down on road. Class 11, I took maths coaching, Universal tuition center, I met my best friend Shishir there. Shishir, Jet and I became the next best trio, from tuition centre to his home, our weekend rides to nearby café to have some choley tikki etc. We took some long ride too, Dwarka, Najafgadh, Kakrola, Ramapark, Subhash nagar, for different motivations. Adolescence kicked in and you start trying new stunts, cycling while standing, cycling without holding handles, cycling by not holding handles and not paddling, balancing with lowest possible speed. Hero Jet and I did lot of such things. I was in collage first year, 1998, when as usual, I went to Shishir’s home, locked my cycle, we both went to bus stand, went to college, when we came back, we did not find the Cycle. That day we were real upset, losing the Jet. Life took different turns, collage, then MBA, so the need of cycle was kind of blurred out, scooter, bike and then car. Time flew, 10years later, I started feeling the love for cycle once again, this was not a need driven, just a desire that I should have one. Couple of years more, in 2013 or so, I used to see my friends in Delhi has started a kind of cycle routine over weekend, and they used to go in early morning, few km’s and then sit together to have tea, chit chat and come back. I got motivated, here in Hyderabad, I tried forming such group, but never martialize. Passion, Love, Need when everything is high, then only you meet a goal.

 

Need found its definition, a work out regime, the love started rising through nostalgia, passion I yet to form. My son’s cycle is staying at home, hardly he rides a Km or so, because, he makes me run along, and I am not a runner. Today, when in evening me and my son went out with our cycle, we took 4Km round.

 

This year beginning, I completed 40, and my brother in law, more like a brother, a friend, he knew I plan to buy a cycle, he sent me the money to gift one. I was supposed to get that in March, but we know we were locked down. After unlock, I was not going out much, but then today, I finally made a plan to visit Decathlon. Thank you Amaresh joining me for shopping, you only know how much we have discussed about cycle trip 6yrs back.