Cycling: early memories

I used to be a child who was really afraid, especially of falling. And in as much as a cycle attracted me, the fear of falling prevented me from getting on the bike, inspite of having helpful uncles and cousins who would urge me on. Finally in 1984 summer, I gathered enough mettle with my maternal uncle (mom’s elder brother) to try a small cycle with two wheels. Not the kids variety, a proper cycle, mind you.

Day after day, my uncle tried in vain to get me going on the cycle. I would cry, shout, get scared the moment he indicated he would “leave” me. He got tired of running behind me, pushing and holding the bike. After the entire summer of 1984, sometime in May, I remember my uncle telling my mom that her son will never learn cycling. And my mom, sweetheart that she is, listened with almost tears in her eyes, to the possibility that her first son would never cycle. It used to be more of her dream and anyone else’s to see me on the bike. I felt bad that I disappointed her so much.

When I got back to 5th std, one of my classmates, a pretty girl by name Rani Peter used to come to school in a cycle. My god – in those days, it was a revelation. She was having army background and had come from delhi in 3rd standard. Now this dame cycling got me seriously jealous. Seriously. Those were the macho days – if a girl could do it, the guy has to, no questions about it.

After we moved to our new home in 1985, we had one of our neighbours who said he will give it a shot - to try and teach me pedaling. My mom explained to him how her brother had tried his best to get me going and how hopeless it was. This gentleman, by name Sunil did not budge. We rented a bike and went off to a nearby ground. In 30 minutes, I was cycling away as if I have been doing nothing else in my life but cycling!! With a joy that knew no limit, I cycled and came in front of my house and showed off to my mom. My friend Sunil thought that he had some “magic touch” that I learned it so fast. Afterwards, I saw him running behind a lot of kids on their bicycles – “teaching” them! ☺

Obviously all those hours with my uncle had gotten me to the very edge – just a little more push and I would have started cycling!! Morale: don’t give up. When the night is the darkest, the morning is near.

Recently, I told my uncle that I have more miles on my cycle than what his entire family had in their lifetimes. He was mighty proud! For a boy who was predicted to never learn cycling, this was indeed big. Very big. No wonder I relate big time to the movie Forrest Gump. For those of you who have not yet seen this classic, it is the story of a child by name Forrest, with weak legs, who goes on to become a high profile long distance runner, running coast to coast in the United States – for the sheer joy of it!

From 9th std onwards (circa 1989), I got permission to go to school on cycle. It was liberation! I can still close my eyes and picture those “first” days when I used to get out of that small road into bigger avenues. Before that it used to be trial runs on my dad’s bike, back and forth a 300m stretch of road in front of my house.

School days turned into those heady college days... and I score well enough in kerala state engineering entrance exam to gain a computer science seat in REC Rourkela, one of the hallowed places for engineering in this country. The college had a very huge campus - 640 acres - second only to IIT Kharagpur in area. I continued with pedaling while I was there. The huge campus kind of mandated it. The hostel itself was about a km away from the main buildings! It is a pity these days to see colleges in 20 acres - what a shame.

I used to participate in what was called "cross country" cycling while I was in REC. The most challenging part of the race was it started at 4:30 AM in the morning. I enjoyed every bit of it, though I never came in the first three. Almost 6 years of pedalling there - I have no clue how much distance would have been done, since I did not have a meter...

After those days came the days in Bangalore about which I have elaborated in the previous two posts.