Tuesday, November 07, 2006

It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life

Act1,Scene1: It was my freshie year. Having been allotted hostel13 meant travelling up and down the slopy roads leading to the academic area. Something that would be a real arduous task. For the unitiated, the academic area is more than 1 kilometer away from my hostel and you have to surmount two himalyan slopes on your way. What i badly needed was a bicycle. Severe cash crunch, as always, ensured that my bicycle could only be a "bicycle"! Not the sleek and sexy ones which most others seemed to possess. So a not-so-soothing-to-the-eyes blue coloured framework, just two brakes, just the normal handle without any add-ons, the normal bell capable of producing the most repulsive and an ear drum piercing sound and ofcourse, no signs of gears-all in all the kind of cycle that the filthy rich kids of today would dismiss as prehistorical. Despite this it cost me a fortune-1700 bucks!
Act1,Scene2:Now its my fourth year. "Well wishers" bombard me with queries with a clockwork regularity. Queries of the type, "You don't even realise its kiddish?". "How long will she carry your load re?". "Will you exploit her even in your 5th year or will you even cycle to your office?". And these queries crop up only when my "well wishers" are in groups. The boisterous laughter that emanates thereafter can unnerve or irritate the lesser mortals but i still manage (or pretend to manage) to maintain my composure. So i would like to use this medium to express my gratitude to all "well wishers" who have ensured that my love for my cycle does not mellow down with age. For someone for whom a trip to the main gate has become a religious ritual, life sans a cycle would have been hellish. My old faithful- she has withstood the vagaries of faith and weather ungrudgingly. She bore the brunt of Bombay's monsoons for an entire month when i parked her in the open unattended while i cheerfully proceeded on a vacation back home. There are loads of people who owe a big thanks to her for having saved them on innumerable occasions - be it missing a lab, lecture or a date:d . She has been subjected to double and triple ridings as well regardless of her highly fragile and docile framework. And despite all these favours, the ungrateful fellas have tormented her and her owner with the crudest of jokes. The biggest advantage of having a cheap bicycle is that noone really bothers even giving her a look while the costlier ones keep getting moused.There have been gazillion occasions when she has suffered a chain break, puncture, break fail and god-knows what !! But every time she has recuperated back to "fighting fit". Alas!! now these events have become just too frequent- signs of old age catching up with her. Every second day some part gives away and getting a repair costs me a fortune. But the strong bondage ensures that i do cough up some precious bucks- something that i don't do for nothing! Now for all my "well wishers"- here's some good news! The truth has dawned upon me albeit late. The imminent has arrived. She definitely deserves a rest. Before i say RIP , i must tell you its AVON SLR 707. Go have a look ...

ps: The preference of "she" over "it" and "he" has a reason. Not to be disclosed :p
pps: She is too camera shy for any pictures. Everybody loves my baby :)

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

....sob sob !!!
I dont feel like writing any more ....

Unknown said...

pretty emotional narrative ;)...I kept wondering...y the "she" thing...thought you would mention the reason at the end...But :(

Yashika Totlani Khanna said...

Touché!
Interestingly written… the famous humour is back! Did an awesome job as far as bidding farewell to you avon is concerned… and surely made us all fall in love with her too! My best pick-
"Will you exploit her even in your 5th year or will you even cycle to your office?"
ROTFL!
You know I’ve joined a ‘I love chandler bing’s jokes’ community on orkut… guess a similar community on your name is now due! Anyway, I don’t wanna go blabbering about how much I liked it, lets just bestow the “2nd best post so far” title on it (1st one's reserved for the ‘examination blues’ post.).

Cheers! And hugs for your avon (I owned one as a kid too!).

P.S. Aneesha is right... pretty emotional stuff, this. * Sniff *

arunabh said...

@sai
hmmmm ... do i take that with more than a pinch of salt Mr "well wisher"? :p
keep visiting x-(

@aneesha
thanks a lot. actually i was a bit emotional. u actually need to step into my shoes or step onto the paddles to realise how important she is to me ... :d. n reasons.. a lil more than shady so refrained :d
keep visiting :)
@yashika
to put in your favorite phrase "unassumingly funny" :p know wot .. i almost guessed your favorite pick n dont ask how . well thanks a lot for all the accolades but no.. no orkut community :((
n my avon reciprocates all your hugs n kisses. tell you sumthing .. cycling is one rare thing that i never get bored of. try karo
keep visiting :)

Anonymous said...

x-( God !! you called my previous comment kiddish !! Its you who needs to grow up cycling around like babies :d. Why don't you get a proper bike? Its high time you change ! So after so much time you decided that the best girlfriend you can have is your bicycle.This i guess can be a possible reason for it/he becoming "she"..am i right ?? ....hehehehehe...eheheheh..eekkkks
ok break or rather brake:d:d. But definitely funny. awesome post. keep up the good work :)

devein said...

am left wth no words of appraisal this time for ur writing skills...emotions overpowered humour in this post of urs...hope sb would gift u a new bike(thats wht u call her) on ur bthday,but not an avon,but u need a Hercules this time or i ll pray god to give u sm financial tips...like..never to bother abt ur pocket whn u r buying sth thats worth more than just money......

Anonymous said...

awesome + awful post !
awesome for its content :)
awful-i really felt awful for your bike getting separated from its owner.
keep blogging. will keep visting

~misha

arunabh said...

@prachi
no baby(literally)! cycling isn't for babies x-( but then i won't go on blabbering about the benefits of cycling. n the most stupid conclusion drawn. we aren't allowed to drive motorised vehicles inside my college
brake n keep visting :)

@abhishek
thanx a ton dude. keep visiting :)

@devein
thanks for sympathising with my plight. haan i also hope that somebody gifts me a bicycle this coming b'day.even a brand new avon wud do
keep visiting :)

@misha
ohh thanks a lot
keep visting :)

JITIN said...

Well i can whole heartedly appreciate ur love for ur beloved bike... bcoz i hv one of my own in college & much like urs its also ageing rapidly... but i too hv developed an emotional bond with "her"(as u say)as it has bailed me out on innumerable occasions... i m really greatful to ur this post as it bring me back to those nostalgic dayz of my fascinating stints with "her"... & i would surely enjoy with "her" again next year when i go back to college...
thanx a lot!!!

Anonymous said...

"Everybody loves my baby" - too much Doors inspired i think :p
Definitely has to be the best post on your blog. The perfect blend of emotions and humour also got me emotional. Others definitely would agree. I long for more such posts :)

~ruchika

Giddu said...

So, this "break fail" you mention, must be a good thing, innit?

The things fails to "break"...

Sidey jokes aside :P I love my "bike" too, though she hasn't got much attention from me since the last semester or so...

If only she had a heart that could pump gasoline...

sushobhan said...

tears rolling from my eyes and they r not going to stop until there is a revolution that can empower those cycles,,,,,,,,my dear friend wen will u stop this cycle labour??????????????

arunabh said...

@jitin
good to see another poor soul who cycles :) go get her back on all two's and have the ride of a lifetime
keep visiting :)

@ruchika
No not too much but definitely yes.
and thanks for dubbing this as urs numero uno
keep visiting :)

@giddu
no not exactly. had a bad tumble once due to her failure ... :p
never knew you also had a bike :-?
"If only she had a heart that could pump gasoline" - only a true cyclist like me can realise the sheer joy that incessant paddling gives.... alas!! start cycling next sem wen u shall b infinite lukkha :D
neways keep visiting :)

@sushobhan
never shall that day come x-(
keep visiting :d

Anonymous said...

i love chintooooooooooooo

Anonymous said...

This was just too good. Wasn't very sure wether i should sypathise with your miseries or laugh at the awesome narrative. keep blogging man !

Anonymous said...

hey man .. ppl are still sympathizing ..... its high time u declare ur "she" is all set for rides again....

Anonymous said...

boohoo boohoo
bakre ki amma kab tak khair manayegi :p ab baksh de cycle ko.
strange strange topic for a blog. but justice dun... i give thee a stamp of approval

~vardaan speaketh


ps: n u got so many female species sentiaoed bout ur cycle ;)

arunabh said...

@anon
thnx rathi :x

@sai
abey i dont want to jinx her ride by announcing her return to health on a public forum --- superstitions :p

@sidd
thanks a lot. keep visiting :)

@vardaan
lets c ;)
for the approval .|...
keep visiting ;)

Dee Spake Trash Anyway... said...

o well... i totally understand what u mean... ageing bikes and all of that... u've heard my story... here's a big cheers to bikes that stay so amazing for ages!!!

Anonymous said...

GAWD ! what kind of sick son of bitch are you Faggot !
You look so very much of a skunk !
You faiery.
mail me if you have balls to...
xubile@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

GAWD ! what kind of sick son of bitch are you Faggot !
You look so very much of a skunk !
You faiery.
mail me if you have balls to...
xubile@gmail.com

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