Of Racing

I have never played speed games in the video, but I always ride like one in the traffic jungles.

I swayed, swerved, snaked, whizzed, buzzed, honked, braked, twisted and rode at 120KMPH. I threw all the caution that came my way to the wind that was always passing me by.This became a routine for me. Filled the tank with liquid gold and smoked it through my vehicle's silencer, all the while overtaking the Cars, Scorpios, Sumos, Volvos and what not.

Twas as a 2 and half year old that I started my sojourn with wheels.
Walking, rather running, excitedly alongside my dad, whose hands I held, I spotted a Tricycle...........so goes the narrative of my dad. I sat on it, as it was on display in the showroom for kids, and started pedalling it...without anybody teaching me how to do it. My mom used to describe with excitement. The assistants in the showroom directed the handlebar towards a stretch on the carpet and I was joyously pushing the pedal. That night, my parents bought me that tricycle.

As a 3rd Standard student, I had Viji akka teaching me to push the pedal in her blue color-Atlas, ladies model bicycle. Then I had Sriram anna teaching me to ride a Gents model bicycle. There I was riding the cycle at the speed of a storm and twisted my ankle and painted my elbow red with blood and most of all was successful enough in twisting the vehicle partially out of shape.

The love story continued. I was brave enough to dig the Two-In-One Tape Recorder at home and fished out the motor in it.This was a Fourth Standard guy. Got some wheels out of a toy car and used the same as a chasis and mounted the motor. The torch that my dad used to carry supplied me the batteries and I had made a small wire linked, battery driven car.

My parents, relatives, neighbors were all full of high praises for this wonder kid. Then the elocution competition at my school enabled me to make my Life's manifesto.."I SHALL BE A SCIENTIST", when that word hardly got up the neurons of the kids of my age.

I bought a dynamo for my cycle, got in touch with a cycle mechanic and learnt the tricks of fixing a light in the spoke and it circled with the spokes. Now, the kids in the neighborhood were all eyes for this nightly spectacle. I did great speeds in the cycle and none came in my way.

I was too short to ride a bicycle and hence people wondered how I managed to balance the cycle when I used to carry 5 children with me, starting from the foundation near my home and bring them safely too.

As a 7th Standard student I had my sights on a brand new YAMAHA RX100 which my dad's friend used to bring home time and again. I got the keys and in the pretext of honking the horn......I moved it a little, perched on it, kicked the starter lever and presto it came alive. I had seen this uncle do something with some lever in the left side and I did the same and the vehicle moved.almost a wheelie and I rode it with all caution and somehow steered it home.

I had tamed the Bucephalus (Alexander's horse)

I got my scooter, after much begging that it be a bike, on account of my parent's trust in the unshakable BAJAJ brand.It was always flying at 60kmph speed in my street and @ 90kmph in the tarmac. It used to fly a feet or two whenever it was launched from the favorite speed breakers at college..hence came the name FLYINGSCOOTER.....and a mail ID FLYINGSCOOTER@REDIFFMAIL.COM

I was always known to be in the class if my scooter was in the parking lot at college or playing cricket if the Scooter was left grazing in the meadows.

Unsatisfied as I am, I changed the shoes for my scooter, gave it rally tyres, tuned it up to a 100 KMPH and started competing with the YAMAHA 135 and KB 125 that were launched in the market recently.I won the race always as my college mates never had the gut to squeeze the vehicle through 2 buses or in taking a stand scraping turn at 70kmph. I always wanted to leave an indelible impression through my riding and hence did wheel squealing anchoring................when the vehicle was sailing at 10/20KM above the Red mark allotment........... and it did leave dark black streaks on the roads.

The Bike arrived in the scene. The blazing blue UNICORN.The mechanic said that it should not exceed 40KMPH mark until it clocked 1000KM in the odo. I said yes and purred the engine to life and pulled a wheelie and touched 80KMPH before it greeted the first bend in the road. My dad who was following me in his car said thus, "it is not a one day affair, let it stretch for some more time"

I was bitten by the WANDER BUG. A few extra drops of fuel and off I would go to SMOKE EM OUT......... The car was tempting me too much and dad was always aboard it to keep me at bay from galloping away. Once I had been with dad for the II Service and for tuning the vehicle. I barged in when dad was recollecting his memoirs and asked the mechanic to take me for a ride....................hehehehe, rather calling him to be taken for a ride. I declared that from them on I shall drive for a while to find if the functions were smooth. 100, 110, 120, 130,135............ The mechanic said that it was the limit and we would go skating if I engaged the brakes anyway...........

After a long time, my parents agreed to send me saddled on my blue Horse (HONDA UNICORN) all the way upto Bangalore from Trichy, a distance of 350KMs. I had my own reasons.I said that the HONDA parts were too costly to be replaced and that I couldn't trust the handling that the Railway Freight team offers., Off I went and my parents were hooked on to the phone trying to find if I was safe every inch of my way.

At night I did a guess work on the roads................U WILL NEVER KNOW IF A DUAL HEADLIGHT IS FROM A FOUR WHEELER OR A TWO WHEELER RIDING ALONGSIDE........... and as I was successful in my quizzing stints, so was I with my road revelry.

Even now at Bangalore roads, when the vehicles are edging for elbow space, I'm happy to find a hair line space to whip my horse and fly past people as a floating breeze.

I want to rewind and reach my Twelfth standard, when I was asked to take part in the Two Wheeler race that was conducted in the city. I couldn't appeal beyond the final and binding words of my parents.They said,"Don't divert your attention towards anything that is apart from studies"