The Cycle Diaries

 Remember Che Guevara's "The Motor cycle Diaries"? I love the book. It shows how wandering makes you both, wonder and wiser. My AIR speech on the text was well received. Actually, I was supposed to translate it from the original Spanish in to Marathi. Well, the publisher's enthusiasm waned soon, as no huge sales/profits  seemed to be looming large on the horizon!

Remembered all these details because I feel many amongst us can write "The Cycle Diaries", right? Honestly, the bicycle almost always has lovely/lively childhood memories. It is a proper ride down the memory lane. For me, the remembrance consists of Papa teaching me how to ride a bicycle. 

Very emotional stuff because in my opinion this activity symbolises Papa's faith that once equipped/educated well, I would never falter! He trained me so well that later learning to ride a two-wheeler was no big deal. I can manage such a ride so well that after Jadugar Raghuveer, if there is anybody in Pune who can ride a two-wheeler blindfold, it would be me!

With the bicycle, I have other cute memories such as reaching/fetching my kid bro to/fro his school. His Royal Highness would be riding pillion, and guiding me from behind!

Yes, riding a bicycle is magic. The wind whistles gently in your ears, the tring-tring of the bell adds its own music, the breaks are yours to control, and the paddles are yours to speed. There is no danger, moreover, of the 'Vedant Agarwal' variety. Even if you were to hit someone, at the most, you and the victim might suffer a few scratches. So no worries about writing essays!

A cycle is so handy that you can manage zillion "chal meri, Dhanno" types. No loss of any energy, moreover, neither petrol nor electric charging needed. Wonderful exercise for the entire lower part of the body in addition! No wonder, till mid-eighties, Pune was the bicycle h(e)aven! I can go on and on the bicycle way, but, hey, can I hear the horns honking, signifying the rude, eh, road rage of the reader! So better to move on, right?

Pratima@ Cycling is so heady that in the golden era of Hindi films, the hero and the heroine would either meet in a library with their books falling, et al. Or their bicycles would together crash. Crush forever for sure!