3 Generations of Cycle Riders - 335(183)

       THE ART OF LEARNING TO RIDE A                                                    CYCLE 






We have all , as a kid ,  learnt to ride the cycle the very hard way . The innumerable bruises on our hands , legs or elbow must be still fresh in everyone's  memory . Many of us  carry some scar or the other which  remind us of the same . I for one lost half of one my front tooth in one such mishap . The poor cycle in its totally dilapidated state must also  be  having many a  scar and  bend on its frame because of the innumerable falls , crashes and dashes against all and sundry  while you ,  me and we  learnt the delicate art of balancing .  The thrill that  you got when you finally managed to balance and pedal a few Mts is I am sure no way  less than the thrill Mountaineers experienced when they were at the summit of Mt Everest  .

My first tryst with the cycle was when I was in  my 5th standard at Street 30 , 1A , Bhilai in the then Madhya Pradesh and the present day   Chattisgadh .
The Mini Cycle came  at a rent of 0.25p per hour. In those days it was almost a princely sum and as we had no pocket money those days raising money to finance your one hour ride was always an issue  . Monthly twice,  one hour duration was all that I was allowed by my Akka , who was my guardian at Bhilai . After many a fall and bruise , I finally managed to cycle for a few Meters without the mandatory bruises and a few more dents to the already very much  disfigured rented cycle .

My son Haarish was just 5 when he rode a bike  .  (The Cycle had become a Bike in the intervening 30 years or so ) . I distinctly remember running behind his bike while he learnt the delicate art of Balancing . This was in front of our house K2 Madura Coats Old Colony and  in front of the Colony Club at VK PURAM .


Yesterday I recieved a WhatsApp message and a video of Haarish my son Running behind my Grandson ADHVAY who seemed to have already learnt all the nuances of riding a bike . Haarish panting at the back revived my own old memories .

LIFE HAS COME ONE FULL CIRCLE FROM
     BHILAI - VK PURAM AND TORONTO
          IN LEARNING TO RIDE THE BIKE







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