"Side do..side do side do....BAM!"
"Dekh ke chalao yaar..."
"So sorry man! Sorry", said I with frowning eyes and apologetic smile to the passerby whom i have hit with the security guard's bicycle.(yeah, i borrowed it for training sessions)
The day ended with so many apologies from my side and sneering from the pedestrians. Well, to say honestly, it was my fault. I started learning bicycle recently and as the ritual goes, you either fall and hurt yourself while riding it or end up dashing to the dustbin or the pedestrians.
It all started when i looked at a blue bicycle during my seventh semester while having snacks and relived my childhood thus promising myself that i'd learn cycling before passing out from NIT.
"Why the hell do you want to learn riding a bicycle? Start with a scooty or car driving" was the inevitable advice i was given by most of the friends when they heard me saying "Aaj cycle chalaana seekhne jaa rahi hoon" ("Going to learn riding a bicycle today"). But then, its the crazy, wild heart that wants it all; by the end of the semester, to go around the campus with full speed and hands free on a cycle; showing off my major accomplishment.I found a friend who shared my interest and helped me out with the training course.
All was well till I acquired the cycle and started pedaling it; but hell broke loose when the support system;read my trainer cum friend let go of the cycle thinking i could manage without him. The human brain works in different ways and it feared whenever a hint of insecurity crept in; thus inevitably resulting in falling down and injuring my knee caps!
The first few days went on monotonously, with my friends' disappointing looks when i couldn't manage the handle and the public's(read, boys and girls under age 10) mocking looks when i tried to pedal my way out of staff quarters at NIT. I mean, who the hell would imagine it needed a lot of concentration and pressure on the damn handle to keep the tyres rolling straight! It almost felt like i could never learn cycling. To top it up, we almost encountered one or two kids cycling in front of us everyday!
Then to increase my productivity, my friend offered a Bournville if i could even hit him with my cycle. Maybe he was too confident that i would never be able to pedal till his standing point or maybe he preferred getting hit rather than see me struggle with the handle; i would never know. Poor me, i tried my best to win that Bournville, but of vain.
And one day, i started pedaling thinking my friend was behind me supporting the cycle.One moment i was happy to feel the air and the next moment i was perplexed as i couldn't hear his voice anymore. I mean, i was on the downside of the road and the cycle was too fast. I was at my wits end, when i realized i was all alone and i had to take a turn amidst all that apprehension! Turn i did, with so much valor, that i would never forget. That one defining moment, even though small or insignificant for the outer world; made me believe in myself. That moment,i shed all my fears and doubts, and enjoyed to the fullest the happiness of becoming a cyclist.
Well, the next moment, i hit a woman who uttered out expletives that i will never forget!
But it was worth it. Life is all the same i reflected philosophically that night. You try to balance yourself, make mistakes, hurt somebody with or without knowing, inevitably and then learn to control it finally. And the moment you feel you're in control, its an exquisite feeling one can never forget.
As to my cycle training, i am done with it and immensely grateful for my friends who've been part of those sessions often filled with fun! Now is the time i convince my dad to buy me a bicycle. I wish i could just see the incredulous look on his face; he would be mighty surprised to hear me ask for a bicycle rather than a scooty!
"Dekh ke chalao yaar..."
"So sorry man! Sorry", said I with frowning eyes and apologetic smile to the passerby whom i have hit with the security guard's bicycle.(yeah, i borrowed it for training sessions)
The day ended with so many apologies from my side and sneering from the pedestrians. Well, to say honestly, it was my fault. I started learning bicycle recently and as the ritual goes, you either fall and hurt yourself while riding it or end up dashing to the dustbin or the pedestrians.
It all started when i looked at a blue bicycle during my seventh semester while having snacks and relived my childhood thus promising myself that i'd learn cycling before passing out from NIT.
"Why the hell do you want to learn riding a bicycle? Start with a scooty or car driving" was the inevitable advice i was given by most of the friends when they heard me saying "Aaj cycle chalaana seekhne jaa rahi hoon" ("Going to learn riding a bicycle today"). But then, its the crazy, wild heart that wants it all; by the end of the semester, to go around the campus with full speed and hands free on a cycle; showing off my major accomplishment.I found a friend who shared my interest and helped me out with the training course.
All was well till I acquired the cycle and started pedaling it; but hell broke loose when the support system;read my trainer cum friend let go of the cycle thinking i could manage without him. The human brain works in different ways and it feared whenever a hint of insecurity crept in; thus inevitably resulting in falling down and injuring my knee caps!
The first few days went on monotonously, with my friends' disappointing looks when i couldn't manage the handle and the public's(read, boys and girls under age 10) mocking looks when i tried to pedal my way out of staff quarters at NIT. I mean, who the hell would imagine it needed a lot of concentration and pressure on the damn handle to keep the tyres rolling straight! It almost felt like i could never learn cycling. To top it up, we almost encountered one or two kids cycling in front of us everyday!
Then to increase my productivity, my friend offered a Bournville if i could even hit him with my cycle. Maybe he was too confident that i would never be able to pedal till his standing point or maybe he preferred getting hit rather than see me struggle with the handle; i would never know. Poor me, i tried my best to win that Bournville, but of vain.
And one day, i started pedaling thinking my friend was behind me supporting the cycle.One moment i was happy to feel the air and the next moment i was perplexed as i couldn't hear his voice anymore. I mean, i was on the downside of the road and the cycle was too fast. I was at my wits end, when i realized i was all alone and i had to take a turn amidst all that apprehension! Turn i did, with so much valor, that i would never forget. That one defining moment, even though small or insignificant for the outer world; made me believe in myself. That moment,i shed all my fears and doubts, and enjoyed to the fullest the happiness of becoming a cyclist.
Well, the next moment, i hit a woman who uttered out expletives that i will never forget!
But it was worth it. Life is all the same i reflected philosophically that night. You try to balance yourself, make mistakes, hurt somebody with or without knowing, inevitably and then learn to control it finally. And the moment you feel you're in control, its an exquisite feeling one can never forget.
As to my cycle training, i am done with it and immensely grateful for my friends who've been part of those sessions often filled with fun! Now is the time i convince my dad to buy me a bicycle. I wish i could just see the incredulous look on his face; he would be mighty surprised to hear me ask for a bicycle rather than a scooty!
| Image Courtesy: www.wallconvert.com |
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