Freewheeling exploration with a bicycle

Learning to ride a cycle is a cherished memory for many.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

I still cherish the timeless memories of my childhood, especially the triumphant moment when I finally learned to ride a bicycle. Despite being a late bloomer, I mustered the courage to mount a bike during high school. Our ancestral house in Fraser Town in Bengaluru had a small open space where I received my first lessons from my father. “Maintain a straight path, keep your gaze ahead, and stay attentive,” he would say and this became my guiding principle.

Given my petite stature, mounting the saddle was a daunting task. I employed a technique called “scissors”, placing my left foot on the pedal and squeezing the other foot between the frame and the crossbar.

Once I felt more confident, I explored the outdoors. Once while I zoomed on with the wind behind me, a septuagenarian neighbour with a strapped leg suddenly emerged from his house. Startled, I lost control, causing me to collide with him.

He crumpled to the floor in a heap. A crowd of onlookers gathered, their eyes filled with shock, pity, and anger. They helped the man seething with pain to his feet and looked daggers at me. The injured man’s wife stormed out of the house, her face contorted with rage, hurling insults at me and threatening to complain to my parents. I was filled with fear and guilt as I saw the consequences of my act. I reluctantly rode my bicycle home, fully aware of what awaited me. My parents gave me a dressing down and barred me from taking out the cycle for a few weeks.

During my pre-university days, I rented a bicycle for a nominal fee (10 paise per hour) from a nearby shop to explore the city.

During the college lunch break, I would borrow a mate’s bicycle, wheel home, grab a quick bite and then return to the campus. I persisted with this until I received my grandpa’s disused bicycle after his passing.

The moment I could afford one after joining a state-run bank, it became a precious possession, a symbol of my hard work and determination. It was a journey from renting to borrowing and finally owning a bicycle.

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