A bicycle that turned me into a hero
A bicycle always fascinated me in the childhood, probably I think everybody would had this feeling when we were kids. Owning a bicycle seems to be most successful accomplishment any kid would have in his childhood. I also feel that one’s childhood would be incomplete without the bicycle coming into their life at some point.
Every day when I went to school, I would see so many children riding a bicycle. Looking at them I always desired to own a bicycle. I never demanded anything from my parents. My desire to own a bicycle was always there, but a wish to ride a bicycle was even more. Even though I had friends who owned bicycles, I never liked to borrow cycles from them, as I always felt, what if I fall off and damage to their cycles. Moreover, I did not even know how to ride a bicycle. I decided to bury this desire deep down in my mind and wished it would never return. I knew that once I complete my schooling this thought would never pop up again. But, the gist of imagination that a college boy did not know to ride a cycle was always floating around in my mind.
I had completed 7th grade, now it was 3 more years to complete the schooling. I still did not even attempt to learn to ride a bicycle. Now the desire got stronger day by day. Maybe because at this point in time many people possessed a bicycle as most parents felt that their kids are grown up and felt safer to allow them to go to school with the bicycle.
One fine day, I told my mother I wished to learn cycling. I got the mother’s approval now its time to ask my father. Initially, he denied but then he told he would teach me cycling. Being a brother, I had to ensure that my sister would also learn cycling along with me. She was almost there with me all along. Whatever I do my sister would also have to follow, we were equal partners in anything we did.
My father thought of the all possible ways to set up the stage to teach cycling. We had a cycle shop nearby, where they rented cycles for Rs. 2 per hour. We brought a cycle for rent, but now the question where to ride?
We had a playground near our house, so we three me, sister and father went there. Sister was very scared initially, the thought of falling off from the cycle always scared her. I was the first one to get on to the bicycle, father had a firm grip on the cycle and I sat on the cycle confidently. Slowly and steadily I began to paddle and when the cycle moved, I was very delighted. Gradually, we had a couple of rounds around the ground. Sister was too scared to get on, I remember she did not ride the bicycle that day.
I was still not able to balance the bicycle. But that’s alright, the thought that I had ridden the bicycle gave me a lot of joy. That night, I could not sleep thinking about the day’s achievement and dreamed that I would own a cycle very soon.
This was my second class on how to ride a cycle. We bought it for rent again. The irony has we pushed the cycle from the cycle shop to the ground and not riding it. But that’s alright. This time the sister had gathered some courage and she wanted to ride first. And my dad, as usual, held the cycle and she completed one round and she was very delighted. I had a second turn. This time I learnt to balance. And was able to ride on my own sometimes when my dad set me free.
Then, again it was the third time. I learned to balance and control the cycle. I could now ride it on my own. Sister had taken a second turn this time. She was able to balance on her own but she was a little scared on the controlling part.
Our learning to ride a bicycle was almost complete. I could now confidently tell that I knew how to ride a bicycle. Now, the desire to own a bicycle grew very much. My dad had also informed the bicycle keeper that if he had any used cycle for sale to let us know.
Many days passed on, I used to pray every day that the bicycle keeper would come up with something for us.
I was in my 8th grade now. It was my birthday, I knew I would not get a bicycle as a gift. It was one day after my birthday, suddenly my mom told me that the cycle keeper had informed her that there was one cycle in the store for sale.
The same day evening I went to the shop along with my father. To my pleasant surprise, it was standing there. I told my father that I wanted it. He did not give any second thought, we bought the cycle.
It was made of chromium finish, with no paint on its body. It was as if it was built strong, stylish with a sporty dirt bike like look which mesmerized anybody looking at this. I never dreamed that one day I would own a bicycle of such kind. I was so happy, probably one of the happiest days of my life.
I could not allow the cycle standing idle, I rode it till I was totally exhausted. All the activities were going in our courtyard at home. Sister was happy about the cycle and she rode it without fear.
Gradually, after a few days when I had enough confidence, I took it out for a ride. Though I rode it in the locality not much far away from home. I could see everybody staring at the cycle first and then at me. The kids would surround me whenever I had a stop. It was though I had turned into a celebrity. Oh boy, I got an overwhelming response from almost everyone. Everybody pleading for a ride, I would not deny anybody and everybody got a chance to ride.
I was instantly famous all throughout school. Everybody almost knew me.
One fine day, unexpectedly we planned to go to the airport with all my friends. It was the time Mangalore Airport was getting upgraded to the International Airport standards. The new runway was being laid out and it was around 4 Kms. from home. The runway was still under construction and even before an International flight could take off, we took the runway by a storm.
Looking at the broad runway, we could not resist ourselves to ride on it. We started off, even though it seemed to a small runway at the beginning, as we rode we felt it would never end. We almost had ridden around 2–3 km. Tired and exhausted, not able to ride any further, we returned back and we were all shattered on the ground wanting for water. We could spot a house there, asked for some water and relaxed for some time.
It was getting dark, no one in the position to ride back home. But we had no other option, we had to return back home. I rode around 15 Kms. the whole day. The joy of riding never pulled us back enough though we were exhausted.
Days passed on, my stint with the cycle continued every day. A new experience almost every day and everyone almost knew me because of the Rambo cycle that I owned. Every child in the locality would fancy for a ride!
Finally, I completed my schooling and now I was to venture into the Pre-University. We were now grown up. This particular age, people develop an interest in owning a motorbike and the interest to ride the bicycle tends to go down. It was a general tendency and I was not an exception too.
I went to Pre-University into a far away college into the city. I did not ride the cycle now. I felt embarrassed to ride the cycle now, don’t know the reason why these feelings cropped up. The cycle was lying around the corner for many days, without no one to care about it. Then, I made a decision to sell it. Sister did not like my decision and she insisted not to sell the bicycle. But I felt it would be wasteful to keep it. I sold it to the same cycle shop keeper from where I had brought it.
My stint with the bicycle ended, the one which turned me into a hero. I thought I would never ride a bicycle in my entire life from that point onwards.
Oh boy, there was the twist to the story, working as a professional in Bengaluru now. I got the opportunity to ride again. My manager Ramesh Bhat had a bicycle and he usually goes for the ride on weekends as many cycling enthusiasts do in Bangalore. He was very inspiring and there was an opportunity to go for a ride again.
It was an early morning ride, we had done more than 50 Kms. of cycling to Chikka Tirupathi along with his cycling gang. This apparently is the popular cycling track with so many cycling groups in Bengaluru riding along this trail.
Till date, I had gone out thrice on the ride on the bicycle, it was always fun and also it was a test of one's stamina. We pull out a weekend once in a year out of random to go on the ride.
It feels good to see so many cycling enthusiasts in Bengaluru. If you google out you can find groups of cyclists all around here. Keep going Bengaluru!
Tributes to Ramesh Bhat, still I remember the early morning ride, a local tea stall, memories of fellow mates asking for an extra cushioning on the seat to protect the base. I wonder why they make the seats so narrow!
