\\TIME
CHANGES//
Yesterday night I was really
bored and thought of taking a bike ride to the sea. Mumbai looks beautiful at
night, city lights cold breeze, the sea, less traffic for starters and less
people. So at around 11 in the night I got up from my bed, took out my jacket,
got ready, cleaned my helmet, wore my shoes, looked outside if it was raining. I
stay in the 8th floor and yet I could see all the high rise
buildings around me, a clear sky, even the moon looked beautiful, cool breeze
and of course city lights. It is true that this city never sleeps, around 11 in
the night I could see people roaming, laughing, travelling and enjoying. So here
I was all set to explore Mumbai’s night life. My itinerary was BKC, Bandra,
Juhu, Dadar, Shivaji Park Area, Band Stand, Staring at Sea Link from Hinduja
Hospital or Dadar, Marine drive Colaba , The Taj and finally home. (Mumbai
people I know it’s not in the same route still I wanted to cover all this in
one night), ohh Powai too. So I took my keys and went to start my bike. Wait to
start my “AVENGER 220 CRUISE”
“AVENGER 220 CRUISE” it
was Christmas eve 2015 I was in Bangalore, I needed a bike to go to my office,
so I told my dad, papa mujhe bike leni hai. He said ok which one? I said it’s a
new launch which will come in January, it’s called Avenger 220 Cruise, he said
ok and the next day we went to the showroom to check out the prices and book
the beauty, it was then that he realised that the bike will be costing some odd
1 lac rupees :P . Saket get an activa you have that much savings an activa can
come and you will not need a loan, there’s no need for a bike of 1 lac, my dad
said. I literally smiled and said Leh Ladakh Activa le ke kaun jata hai :P it
was a season of Royal Enfeild in Bangalore and here I was eyeing for an
Avenger. Has it ever happened to you that when you really need something you
start seeing it everywhere. Well like every tom dick and harry I thought of
purchasing a “BULLET” (Kaleen Bhaiya wala nai yaar, Bike) (No offense bullet
readers) but then somehow every day when I commuted to my office I started
seeing Avenger and I imagined myself in it riding, it does feels like an Indian
version of Harley daividson. I was really excited to ride one. Trust me the excitement
that time was like when a 1 year old finds a hidden the candy jar box. Somehow I managed to convince him and there
she was 16th Jan 2016, got this beauty in my hands. It was an amazing
feeling even to sit on it, I still remember the first time when I switched on
my bike, gave it a little throttle, zrooommm
it went and rode it for the first time, that moment cannot be described in
words, it was satisfying. Today it’s been 38,000 odd kilometres since I rode it
and it still she makes me skip a beat.
Sadly after coming to
Mumbai I found a new love my celerio meri gaadi (Papa ki hai still), there was
a time I remember, when even if I had to go 500 meters away to a shop I would
gladly take my avenger out ride it for a Km and a half roam around and come
home. Things changed in late 2017 when I started Driving instead of Riding,
although the traffic sucks in here, still there’s a different charm in driving a
car, switch on the Ac, listen to your favourite song, rap along and enjoy,
however Bike rides were the best.
At least that’s what I used
to think but off late even for a shorter distance I started using my car and my
bike felt neglected. I used to wash my bike every Sunday personally and got it
cleaned every alternate day by the cleaner. It still shines the black beauty.
At around 10:30 in the
night I realised I am really bored and I need to go out, take a break chill out
and come back. I instantly took my car keys and was all set to take that drive
until somewhere I felt, let me take out my bike today, roam around, ride it
along those streets of marine drive, ride it though queens necklace and feel
the moment.
I came down looked at my
bike, put on my gloves helmet, safety gears and zrooommm it started after a few
tries. It was hardy 100-200 meters when I was riding enjoying the moment when I
encountered my first pot hole, it almost shook me and gradually I reduced speed
from 60 Kmph to 40 Kmph and started moving enjoying the moment, lifted up the
mirror of my helmet, enjoyed the breeze, the roads were little wet due to rains,
but it was a clear sky for now. My first stop was BKC. So I took the eastern
express highway and moved along enjoying the moment when all of a sudden near
Goderej Compound another pot hole shook me. This time I somehow managed to
control my bike as I was in full mood and doing an 80 Kmph, Control saket I said
to myself and started again. It had hardly been 15 minutes and I was about to
take the eastern express highway flyover for BKC when it started raining
HEAVILY, all of a sudden and trust me in Mumbai it doesn’t drizzle and then
rain, it pours like anything. For a minute I couldn’t understand what too do, the
sky was clear, cool breeze, city lights, Mumbai’s high rise building, the
skyline everything vanished.
This is something I wasn’t prepared for, generally
I would just click a button and the wiper would start and pheww I would drive
in my car, what to do now. Instead of taking the flyover I went below it to
take shelter. I kept the bike aside and to my surprise found other bike people
trying to protect themselves from rain or trying to put on the rain coat, then
it clicked me this is what I used to do earlier. I have been driving my car for so long that I completely
forgot to carry my roan coat moreover as soon as I sat on my bike I was
searching for the seat-belt for a second. So here I was standing under the
flyover a little wet, waiting for the rains to stop. Zoooomm passed away a car
splashing water everywhere and a bunch of people swearing stn the car. I smiled
and just wished that at that moment I had my car. Fortunately there was this
guy in a cycle who was selling tea coffee under the flyover. I asked him for a
coffee and looked around, the rains didn’t look it would stop, the roads were
all wet now, under the lights we could see the drops of water falling. I took
the first sip of coffee zzzuuuuuppp and saw my bike and imagined what days were
those. 38000 odd kilometres, taking my bike to Mysore from Bangalore,
Kanakapura, water falls, hebbal area, airport rides, Nandi hills all in the
south region, then I remembered there were rides to lonavala, alibaigh we rode
my bike on the shores of the sea, touching the waves. I took my bike to pune,
daman. i Remember riding my bike in a village where there were narrow streets huts along side and the kids were following me saying Harley Harley, Damn I missed those days. I sipped the last sip of my coffee and thought
this rain wouldn’t stop but it is damn sure not stopping me. All I needed was
to save my cellphone. I somehow managed to put it in my helmet wearing it and
thought I will complete that ride.
Imagine Dramatic Slow motion
rains, thunder and night lights…..
Here I was the lone biker,
lightning in the sky, thunder sound couple of seconds later, me moving towards
my bike and all the other bikers/ standers leaving their sip of tea or coffee
and looking at me giving me that Go saket wala nod. Dramatic slow moves towards
my bike, in my head I could hear the music , tada na tada..drum beats, cheer
girls saying go saket, take that ride, Baldev singh from DDLJ saying ja saket
ja jee le apni zindagi. So here I am, not giving a shit about the rains and
moving towards my bike. I switch it on, zoooommmm it sounded, eyes turned and
the moment I was about to start, there came another car in full speed, water
all over me, literally drenched, I just started the bike all the slow motion
passed away, came home changed took my car out saw the sea at around 2 AM
sitting in my car, coz it was still raining, laughing inside and decided…Time
changes.. Bike love is definitely over now. I am gonna sell my bike definitely take
an activa, keep a pair of rain coat in the so called dikki and will always ,
always take out my car.
