Unforgettable Rides

Okay! This is about school time. Those times when we got promoted from rickshaw rides to self-driven cycle rides. First thought which Naarad-Munied (*Appeared*) in my mind when father sniffed my fake confidence over cycle rides, was that next time I should totally boycott father's evening discussion. Soon he had announced in bhari sabha (full gathering) that my early morning rickshaw rides should be converted to roadies task. Hence I was made to go and buy a bi-cycle.

I remember, blindly trusting the cycle shop owner, we picked up the hep cycle of the lot. The Soccer one! Red in color and height which was quiet comparable to me. It gave a feel to onlookers that I am lost Olympic cycle racer in town.

So taking it as a challenge, we decided to learn. Crap! As if we had any option.

Learning cycling was not big deal. Only thing was just to balance; which we mercilessly lost, sometimes on random uncle's toes or on street dogs. So after spreading terror in neighborhood such as "Get inside, Sharma ji ke bache are learning cycling", we completed our summer holiday horror of cycle riding.

So on very first day of school after summer vacations, we pick up cycles to conquer and pray peacefully in heart before taking off. Well for people on road actually.

The start-up was not as bad as we thought. First 1 km stretch was smooth and mere-sapno-ki-rani-kab-ayegi Rajesh Khanna types. I and sister smiled all the way to each other. We felt so conditioned by air in our school skirts while paddling. We smelled fresh cow dung and ginger tea together which we tried to sort out in nose/head and ignored both when unable to do so.

Soon we hit the leap for which there was nervousness. About 3 feet of elevation on road this went upto 5 feet. Above that, we identified that there were bunch of cows hanging around. I led, made way in between cows and ushered in my sheer success glory for it. I waited for sister on left side.

Looking back I found sister utterly confused and she increased padding as she rode on elevation. I feared as she had built up quiet a speed by now and soon, I found her bumping into a cow. Yeah; a white cute cow! She just had hit a cow in the middle of road.

Surprisingly and rather I say mercifully, cow did not give a damn and stood the same as if nothing happened. On the other hand, sister made it worse. By this time, I was witnessing a sister repeatedly saying sorry to a white cow in the middle of fucking road. She was on and on and on with sorry with cows until I had shouted and brought her out of trance. She collected her sensible hormones and started paddling.

We reached school and I found my sister heart-broke over cow-accident. I sympathized with her by bringing the point that she already had said sorry to cow and she must not feel bad about bumping into a cow in wee hours when she is just done with shitting. Conversing this with sister made me realize that even I had lost touch with my sensible hormones. Who gives crap! In later years, I saw my sensibility diminishing when my best friend over took me and fell into drain, onto which I laughed my arse off until people around me picked her up from drain and advised her to exchange a friend like me with buffaloes tied to other side of road.

Never-mind, I have seen many ups and downs in school-cycle-life. I mean, literally! Those were the days where cycling was one hell of adventure in life which otherwise, was full of Amino acids and integrated equations.

Though I do not miss it but certainly would like to bring back cycle-time in life. Hopefully soon!!