Fast Pedaling to the Future

Pradeep Biswal

My father had got an English Raleigh cycle in his younger days which was a proud possession for him. In those days our entire village didn’t have even a dozen bicycles. As Chairman of the Panchayat Samiti, he used to make tours to different villages using his bicycle and for distant places night halts were inevitable. As children, we used to enjoy it as pillion riders to the nearby market or special events on different occasions.

When I was around ten years old, my turn came to practice riding the cycle in half-pedal mode and my joy knew no bounds when I became successful in my attempts after getting a few bruises on my hands and legs in the process. Few years later I got admitted to the high school a few kilometers away from my village in class nine and my father arranged a second hand bicycle for me. It was an assortment of spares from different old bicycles by the cycle repair shop and almost every alternate day I had to visit the shop to get it repaired.

Once on the way home after school. I met an accident causing a hole on my left chin which needed a stitch and I couldn’t take solid food for two days. Still then, the cycle was my faithful companion. After the matriculation examination, the entire summer vacation was there to enjoy and I traveled to some of the relatives riding the bicycle on my own.

When I got admitted to the local college after matriculation I got permission to use my father’s bicycle. In summer or winter no matter what, the cycle was my constant companion. During the rainy season, the cycle moved ahead in the muddy roads and I enjoyed the rains without being able to have a raincoat those days.

At times there was a competition among the friends in chasing the beautiful college girls traveling in their rickshaws and if you could pick up a conversation with her it’s like winning a lottery. In those days, a scooter or motorcycle was still a luxury even for our lecturers. After graduation I moved to Vanivihar for my post graduation. After a few months ,I brought the bicycle and it became convenient for visiting the cinema hall to view the so-called art films or drama staged in Rabindra Mandap at times.

In the year 1984 I joined All India Radio, Cuttack and used my bicycle to commute to the office and back. In the evening or on holidays I along with some friends visited different parts of the historic city and enjoyed the delicious street foods at various joints. Cycle had by then become an integral part of life. Soon after in 1986 I resigned from AIR and joined the State Government. Incidentally I was posted in Cuttack as Additional Commercial Tax Officer in a circle office.

As before, I used to commute by bicycle since it was not possible to purchase a scooter with the meager salary. On the other hand Bajaj scooter was then in short supply and one had to wait for months to get the delivery after booking it. After some colleagues advised me not to use cycle to commute to the office, I had to use a rickshaw for the purpose in spite of incurring unnecessary expenditure only for the sake of status. Kinetic Honda scooter recently came to market and it was available in the showrooms. It was gearless and very comfortable to ride.

I decided to purchase one after conducting a trial run and approached the Urban Bank for a loan. The loan was sanctioned immediately and I became the proud owner of a scooter. I sent the bicycle back to the village and lost its companionship forever.

(Mr. Pradeep Biswal is a bilingual poet writing both in Odia and English. His poems are widely anthologized. He is also an editor and translator of repute. A retired IAS Officer, Mr. Biswal presently holds the position of Member, Odisha Real Estate Regulatory Authority and stays with his family at Bhubaneswar. Views are Personal)

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