To Kuppu, with Love.

Like any other father, my Dad was awfully protective about me. He used to fret if I was ten minutes late from my basket ball games, tell a millions times to look left and right before crossing the road, insist that I don’t travel by train and take a 2 hour bus ride to South Mumbai, where I did my PG & worked. But most of all, his biggest fear was that his kids will ride a two wheeler someday. So from the time I remember he was consistently saying how unsafe, uncool riding a bike is. He was so paranoid about bikes that he would not let us ride the bicycle outside the compound walls. He also had this insane reason everytime is my brother and I asked if we could buy a bike. He would say “why do want to buy a bike, anyways Maharashtra Govt is going to ban two wheelers next year”. Every year since I was sixteen I had to listen to this explanation till we stopped asking for one. But my love for bikes grew over the years. While everyone in my family cursed my neighbor every time he raced his Bullet, I would be lost in the rhythmic baritone beats of it.

It took me three and a half years in Bangalore to finally buy my first bike. Although my long term plan is to own a Thunderbird, I was sufficiently scared of taking one on the roads of Bangalore. So I thought I would start with a small wheel and then move on to the bigger bike. One of my friend mentioned that the progressional learning is in my head, but I like always I have to do this my way. So on 25th May 2007 I bought my first bike. My Scooty Pept.

I have named him Kuppuswamy. An unusual name, not just for a bike but also for a person. But in the true spirit of Bangalore, Kuppuswamy is as pandi as it can get. And there are two strong reasons why he is the son of the soil. One - considering Scooty pepts come in 99 vibrant colours he is black (Oops! Was that an ‘unfair’ remark). Secondly, loves the fact that a woman with child bearing hips is riding him…(blush). He has brought confidence, independence and a new gust in my life. Every morning, no matter how bad the day looks, I take my time and ride through Ulsoor lake with him…humming the melodious tunes of the yesteryears, while people are zipping away to their respective offices thinking I want to work where she does haha. Sometimes I have craved for him so much that I have left office in the thick of work and taken him out for a spin.

Back home, only my Mum and bro know of his existence. My Dad is still under the notion that I pay double meter to office and back. And the sad part is that he will never know about Kuppu because I have to leave him in Bangalore, and because of certain reasons, without him. I don’t want to hand you off to anyone. You will be adopted buy someone I know, someone who will take care of you and value you. I will miss you my friend, my partner in madness. In future, I might trail the road with other companions but you will not be forgotten Kuppu, my special first. Muaaaaaah!