Free-wheeling memories

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She still remembers how difficult it was for her to convince her parents to buy her a bicycle. As a kid, 19-year-old engineering student Priyanka Goswami had a tough time convincing her mom to get her a bicycle. “She was scared that if I go out riding on the streets, I might have an accident. She wanted to get me a cycle, but she was not able to overcome her fear,” says Priyanka, who used to get really embarrassed when her friends would go for evening bicycle rides and she was not able to join them.
But then, there was a surprise from her dad. “While all my friends got a bicycle when they were seven, eight or nine, I got it much later on my 12th birthday as a gift from my dad. He was able to convince my mom. I still remember the moment when he took me out and the bicycle was there. Nothing has made me happier till date,” says Priyanka, sharing her experience about her first pair of wheels.
There are many who have some bitter-sweet memories. The memories of riding down that society lane on a bicycle as a kid still leaves many nostalgic. In fact, some have still kept their first bicycle as a treasured item. Aquib Ferose, 19, learnt cycling when he was seven. “It’s in a bad condition and my mom wants to give it away to the raddiwalas. But I have kept it as a cherished memory,” he says.
However, not everyone has a memorable memory attached to a humble bicycle. For some, it’s the bike that truly counts. College student Sarthak Harbola developed the love for a ride early in life. “For some reason, I always loved motorbikes. But my parents tried hard to persuade me to let go of my infatuation to cruisers and opt for a more safer vehicle — a four-wheeler. However, I was adamant. It wasn’t just an infatuation, it was the love for feeling the wind on my face, the sheer thought of a biking trip down the countryside kept me determined. My parents realised that getting me behind a four-wheeler was more or less impossible and so I got my first set of wheels — a cruiser. The Indian automobile market has in a manner lost its taste for cruisers and has moved to what is now known as commuter bikes. Being low on options, I chose from one of the only two cruisers available at the time,” says Sarthak.