Wind in my hair and bruised leg.

 




Happiness is to ride a bicycle and feel the wind...!

I was seven and like every year, we were at Aaji's (granny) house for summer vacation. My Aba ( granpa) was a very active and lively person. That year he was keen on making me, learn to ride a bicycle.

Next evening I was ready and equally thrilled to learn something new. Aba held my hand and we both walked down towards the shop that rented bicycles. It was a long walk but I was too fervent to take a halt.

Those days parents dint buy a bicycle before their kids learnt how to ride. We had to rent one. It was Rs.2/- per hour with a Rs.100/- deposit.

There were bicycles of varying sizes and colour. I picked up a small blue one. We paid a deposit and brought it to a playground near our house. Aba held the bicycle firmly and asked me to sit. I followed his instructions, pressed the paddle and Wohooooooooo! my bike started rolling.

Oh! How elated I was! Aba dint let me go. He was pacing faster with each of my paddle. And I had complete faith in him. When I was finally tired, he stopped the bike and I got down.  Together we took the bicycle to the shop, got our deposit back and returned home.

I was so keen on narrating my success story to everyone back home. I just went on and on, boasting how I rode the bike. Aba's eyes gleamed with pride.

Now this became our routine every evening. And within 4-5 days I mastered the art. I could now ride the bike without Aba's support. Only thing was that, he would hold the bike every time I sat and got down. He used to watch me happily taking rounds with wind in my hair!

This evening, I was riding the bike. Aba had to rush home to attend someone for his work. I rode 10 rounds. This was my 11th round, and I wanted to get down now. I was hanging in there for sometime, but couldn't hold on much. So I decided to get down on my own, but dint know how? I got an idea. I found a tree, I clung to it with all my might. And kicked away the bike with both my legs. I was jutting from the trunk of the tree, with my legs hanging in the air. I let go off the tree...and "Thud!" ... I fell in the thorny bushes that were around. I looked around to confirm that nobody saw me doing this circus.

I went back home, bruised, to tell the story of my self proclaimed genius stunt...and everybody had a good laugh!

This stunt girl that I was in my childhood,  I wish to keep her alive yet. I hope the endurance, patience and fighting spirit that I had as a child would still remain.


I want to clung on to something like that tree from yester years, in case I face difficulties as an adult. If I could do it then, why not now?

"When we are old and failing, it is the memories of childhood which can be summoned most clearly" - Dan Simmons. 

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