My father had a Rajdoot. He used to take my sister and me to the beach on weekends. A Rajdoot may sound ancient now, but it was hugely popular among the middle-class back then. We used to joke that it could even run on kerosene in the absence of petrol. My sister had the knack of learning things quickly.
So, she learnt to ride the bike and I used to give her company, sitting quietly behind. Those were fun times we had in the late 90s.
When I flunked Class XII, I had ample time and decided to learn driving. My friend was kind enough to lend me his Suzuki Samurai, which was the first bike I rode.
Later, I got my own bike, a TVS Victor, after a lot of struggle.
The first two years of college were particularly hard. I had to travel from Adyar to Kilpauk (in Chennai), which was a 45-minute ride by bus.
There was one incident that really bothered me. My batchmates were planning to watch Kaakha Kaakha . Those who had bikes left us behind. They said, “You guys catch the bus, or you’ll be late for the show.”
Some of us who were left behind wondered about how different our lives would be if we owned bikes.
Even if I had to take my girlfriend out, I had to borrow my friend’s bike. So, I pleaded with my dad to get me a Pulsar. He said no. I asked for an RX100. I was denied again.
Eventually, my father settled for the TVS Victor, since it gave reasonably good mileage, compared to the other two.
Stay at 60kmph
I become nervous when someone drives fast. Even if it’s on the highway, I don’t drive beyond 60 kmph. I’m not a fast driver and I don’t like gear bikes, which is why I own a Vespa.
Perhaps, I was the first person to buy the yellow-coloured Vespa in Chennai, even before Tamil cinema heroines started driving it in films. I still don’t have a car and can’t drive one. It’s my wife who drives the car. She first bought a Hyundai i10 with her money. Then, she got an i20, and now, she has an Innova.
Generally, people tend to romanticise long drives, saying they listen to Ilaiyaraaja or AR Rahman. But I sing to myself loudly. For a lot of celebrities, driving has become a leisurely act, but not for me.And that is because I still travel on my Vespa.
As told to Srivatsan S
