"Are you doing it this Sunday ?"
This is how it started. I should say, that is how it has re-started.
Was pre-occupied so much with mind-wrecking things. Everything was so bogging me down. Everyone around me were so very... uffffff. Was looking like that everyone around me were just using me. They always had their own agenda. Was getting onto me. Last few days rather week or so was so very draining. Was as if I was just sleep walking. Couldn't look up, meet the eyes, I was speaking so low that even I was not able to listen myself. Just dint know where or what I was heading to. Was caught in the vicious spiral of so-called life.
Was mindlessly scrolling the phone. Saw status of one of my Senior. He was a birder, itching to become a Twitcher and a Club Motorcyclist. We had met a couple of months back and learnt that he has formed a Motorcyclists Group and does regular rides. Also, he was into bird photography. He had invited me to take part in the rides. Told him "Sure sir". Never thought of it again.
I have a bike, a 2007 model Honda Unicorn. Used to ride a lot. Had rode that bike from Vadodara to Secunderabad in 2008 in 33 hours or so. That's 1100 KM. Enjoyed it, thoroughly. Thereafter had done numerous trips. That reminds me, my blog on few road trips in Tamilnadu is pending, for what 16 years or so...
Not only trips, I was using the bike regularly. I used to go from Amritsar to Tibri on Sundays, that's 90 km one-way, to relish a Rasam meal at one of my mentor's house. Once I got married, we bought a car and the rides slowly, but surely reduced. Thereafter not much of biking. Thought of doing a solo ride from Chennai to Secunderabad in 2024, but it also did not materialise. The rides and regular usage become so low that my bike has done 38500 KM only in last 19 years. You grow in life, adding so much to it, but your first major purchase is always special. I don't consider myself to be an emotional type, but the memories of looking for a bike (a Royal Enfield 350, simply called as Bullet then, was a strict NO from my father; 'it weighs thrice your weight'.... :) ) by going around various showrooms, browsing through the brochures, test riding, and finally getting hooked on to the first mono-shock mass-bike of India, the Honda Unicorn.... everything is still fresh in the mind. (Coincidentally, the Tamil movie Polladhavan was also released in the same year).
Huff... so much deviations.
Saw that Senior's status of some riding related photo and messaged him on an impulse if he was going for a ride the next day. He said, "Yes, this Sunday morning, 0600 hrs at 'N Circle' ". I requested if I can also join, for which he happily agreed. I asked him if I am allowed in my 150 CC Honda Unicorn, for I know bikers who get agitated if I say I ride a 150 cc and will not allow a commute bike to join their group of fancy bikes. He said, if you are fine with it, we are absolutely ok with any bike. He asked if I have my safety gears. I gleefully said I have my helmet.
Reached the spot at 0555hrs and saw around 10 of them in their bikes. Dot at 0600 hrs we started. Next few lines are for those who are new to such rides. A place, generally a picturesque spot is the destination and lesser taken road or a scenic route is the path taken. One of the biker is nominated as the Lead and he sets the pace for the ride. The second one is the Road Captain who takes the responsibility of indicating turns, bad patch/roads, speed breakers etc. You generally don't overtake within the group. You would be knowing that such groups are sticklers to road rules and etiquettes.
As we commenced our ride, the city had already began to tumble out of bed. I started questioning my decision to commit for the ride. Sense of traffic and adherence to traffic rules is tough and unlike of us, i think. Just no inclination to obey the rules or to have common sense. Probably that's why it is widely remarked that 'Common sense is not so common'. But one thing, nothing or no one stops...everything and everybody is moving. Sometimes i think the most patriotic thing one can do is to obey traffic rules and have some civic sense. What is the point of just posting on social media for RD/ID or Op Sindoor...?? We see last few seconds in green light or even the amber, and just want to fly in our commute bikes for that 100 meters in 3 seconds or so, no matter what is ahead of us...
Somehow, we escaped the video-gamers on the road and saw the open road. Nerves eased a bit, reflecting on the butterfly valve to open the throttle. Air gushed in with fuel, exploding and burning ferociously. Felt a calming sense seeping through me. Shifted through to the top gear. The cool air was invading through the covered helmet, hit my eye, removed the dirt in it and to push that dirt out, the air had to condense into water droplets. The water droplets was kind of steady for few seconds and stopped.
During my rides, once i am on comfortable stretches, i used to move my legs to the rear footrests. This kind of inclines the body posture forward, creating a feeling that i am leaping ahead. Had been quite some time that i rode in that posture. This used to make feel happy.
The air was filling all the place it could find. The cool breeze was rejuvenating. The cutting through the curves (was imagining as if i was making a hard banking like the bikers do in the professional races) was cutting off the incubus from me. The ups and downs of a bad patch was as if i was travelling through all the contours of the events in my life and letting it behind me. The unpaved pathways were like exploring the unknown territories of the relationships. The smooth road was giving me immense hope for the way ahead. A smile came across my face.
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