Childhood journeys – The joy ride
Summer vacations bring back earthy memories of childhood. The fun n frolic, simple lives that we lead many moons ago. I traverse through the memory lanes & wham! A kaleidoscope of colorful playfulness encompasses my mind. Those were the carefree days of uninhabited innocence!
It was the beginning of yet another beautifully humid summer vacation. A time to chill- out in the horridly intense summer heat. A time to slink away from home in the middle of the sweltering afternoon to feed the resident canine who had just littered, some milk robbed from my mothers kitchen. It was an art in its own right to get back the receded milk level in the vessel by adding generous proportions of the most important natural solvent.
Summer turned us well-mannered kids into sun-tanned tramps. The day was time tabled into slots of considerably significant businesses that needed our undivided attention. We would be up by no later than half past seven in the morning & wolf down whatever was being served. We would then run like crazy to the Kanhaiya lal cycle shop to rent bicycles to ride around. The mind would be busy plotting schemes to be the first to capture the most ostentatious bicycle on display.
I often wondered about Kanhaiya lal. He was an emaciated, tall man probably born in a lungi* & vest sporting the thinnest n longest moustache I had seen in my entire life of eight long years.
Kanhaiya lal was a shrewd cookie. The meanest of them crooks. The arms of his clock definitely had more vigor. Despite all efforts of enjoying the rides on one hand & keeping an eagle eye on the watch, we often than ever reached his shop five minutes late. He would then deviously bully us kids to churn out extra payments & thus sat on a huge pile of black money. He definitely could use the services of a nag devata* to guard his riches!
We argued with him like virtuous zealots. But our circuitous meanderings would fall on deaf ears & wisdom would prevail as the quote “If you wanna live in the water, befriend the crocodile” filtered into our enlightened beings.
Despite all the pent-up resentment that we kids harbored for Kanhaiya lal….there was one thing I would be eternally grateful about. It was one of his rented bicycles that I took my first riding lessons on.
Lets tweak the clock a bit & go back a few weeks. It was the first day of summer vacations. A carefree bird like me had been confined to the books in preparation of the final exams for so long that I had begun to hallucinate about toppling the poor top ranker of the class. The delusions of being the top brass had got me all puffed up & aspire for higher ambitions. The most important one on the horizon was biking.
Now biking was child’s play in my humble opinion & something that I could easily perfect. If Gunna & Omy could do it…so could I.
So I select the bike befitting my size & marvel at its beauty! Boy! This chap was a mini torpedo! Such swanky looks! I just needed to park my rear & enjoy the ride.
So I trudge the bike uphill, sit on it & let go. Weeee! Yoo-hoo….Gunna, look at meeee! I’m going faster than you.
Gunna : Yeah I know. It’s amazing but you need to slow down a bit.
Slow down? Now how does one do that?
Gunna : Use the brakes.
Brakes? What are they?
Gunna : Whaaaat???? You’re not aware of the brakes? You should always know the dynamics of the beauty you are riding! Bah! Gurls!!!! You can never do anything right in life if you don’t know such basics.
Gunnaaaa….where are the damn brakes???? Arvind’s garden wall is rushing towards me.
Gunna : The brakes are present on the…..CRASH!
Gunna : Bunts! You okie? *Eyes wide with concern*
You moron….fish me out of this thorny bush will ya. Ouch! This hurts! OMG…what will Kanhaiya lal say when he sees his pricey bike in scratches. *More tears*
I must have been the luckiest kid in the whole wide world that day coz Kanhaiya Lal was having his breakfast in his shanty & therefore not around. His helper Ramu, a worthless lout in making was my triumph card. He didn’t notice anything amiss as I quietly parked the cycle in their shop & skulked away from the scene as quickly as my hurting feet could take me.
*Lungi - A colourful cotton cloth worn by men, tied at the waist.
*nag devata - snake god from the hindu mythology that guards treasures.
Copyright © BuntysBanter 2007
It was the beginning of yet another beautifully humid summer vacation. A time to chill- out in the horridly intense summer heat. A time to slink away from home in the middle of the sweltering afternoon to feed the resident canine who had just littered, some milk robbed from my mothers kitchen. It was an art in its own right to get back the receded milk level in the vessel by adding generous proportions of the most important natural solvent.
Summer turned us well-mannered kids into sun-tanned tramps. The day was time tabled into slots of considerably significant businesses that needed our undivided attention. We would be up by no later than half past seven in the morning & wolf down whatever was being served. We would then run like crazy to the Kanhaiya lal cycle shop to rent bicycles to ride around. The mind would be busy plotting schemes to be the first to capture the most ostentatious bicycle on display.
I often wondered about Kanhaiya lal. He was an emaciated, tall man probably born in a lungi* & vest sporting the thinnest n longest moustache I had seen in my entire life of eight long years.
Kanhaiya lal was a shrewd cookie. The meanest of them crooks. The arms of his clock definitely had more vigor. Despite all efforts of enjoying the rides on one hand & keeping an eagle eye on the watch, we often than ever reached his shop five minutes late. He would then deviously bully us kids to churn out extra payments & thus sat on a huge pile of black money. He definitely could use the services of a nag devata* to guard his riches!
We argued with him like virtuous zealots. But our circuitous meanderings would fall on deaf ears & wisdom would prevail as the quote “If you wanna live in the water, befriend the crocodile” filtered into our enlightened beings.
Despite all the pent-up resentment that we kids harbored for Kanhaiya lal….there was one thing I would be eternally grateful about. It was one of his rented bicycles that I took my first riding lessons on.
Lets tweak the clock a bit & go back a few weeks. It was the first day of summer vacations. A carefree bird like me had been confined to the books in preparation of the final exams for so long that I had begun to hallucinate about toppling the poor top ranker of the class. The delusions of being the top brass had got me all puffed up & aspire for higher ambitions. The most important one on the horizon was biking.
Now biking was child’s play in my humble opinion & something that I could easily perfect. If Gunna & Omy could do it…so could I.
So I select the bike befitting my size & marvel at its beauty! Boy! This chap was a mini torpedo! Such swanky looks! I just needed to park my rear & enjoy the ride.
So I trudge the bike uphill, sit on it & let go. Weeee! Yoo-hoo….Gunna, look at meeee! I’m going faster than you.
Gunna : Yeah I know. It’s amazing but you need to slow down a bit.
Slow down? Now how does one do that?
Gunna : Use the brakes.
Brakes? What are they?
Gunna : Whaaaat???? You’re not aware of the brakes? You should always know the dynamics of the beauty you are riding! Bah! Gurls!!!! You can never do anything right in life if you don’t know such basics.
Gunnaaaa….where are the damn brakes???? Arvind’s garden wall is rushing towards me.
Gunna : The brakes are present on the…..CRASH!
Gunna : Bunts! You okie? *Eyes wide with concern*
You moron….fish me out of this thorny bush will ya. Ouch! This hurts! OMG…what will Kanhaiya lal say when he sees his pricey bike in scratches. *More tears*
I must have been the luckiest kid in the whole wide world that day coz Kanhaiya Lal was having his breakfast in his shanty & therefore not around. His helper Ramu, a worthless lout in making was my triumph card. He didn’t notice anything amiss as I quietly parked the cycle in their shop & skulked away from the scene as quickly as my hurting feet could take me.
*Lungi - A colourful cotton cloth worn by men, tied at the waist.
*nag devata - snake god from the hindu mythology that guards treasures.
Copyright © BuntysBanter 2007
posted by Bunty's Banter at 12:23 AM
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