NightRides…

I love night rides, especially in busy cities. All the flashing lights from cars, buses, houses, sky scraping flats, shops, restaurants and street lights tend to provide a positive energetic mood.

I heard about a “Freedom Night Ride”, from my friend Mr. Prakash P Gopinath, which was organized every Saturday evening, through the streets of Trivandrum. He is the ‘Cycle Mayor of Trivandrum City’. As he had elaborated, the ride would start from Manaveeyam street, and would run till Sankhumugham beach. A bit of fun time near the beach and back to Manaveeyam was the plot. This street had always fascinated me. It acted as a small connection between two roads running at right angles. The walls on the side were painted with colorful collages by talented artists. They communicated their messages to the pedestrians in their own way. Street vendors took complete authority of the road, unlike the other busy streets in the city. The faces I have seen there were always positive, relaxed and confident.

The ride was scheduled at 8:30 in the night and it would cover a total stretch of 25 kms. The destination was also beautiful, Sanghumugham beach during it’s late night, serene hours. I saw the offer to be extremely catchy. Prakash added me into their cyclist’s WhatsApp group. I saw two of my cousins and some of my friends in the list of professional bicycle riders. Night drive, Manaveeyam street, Sanghumugham beach with my friends. All of them together in one shot. For me, it felt like a rich chocolate cake filled with melted chocolate and drizzled with brown hard chocolate. Sweet from all sides. I was as enthusiastic as a professional cyclist would be, if offered the chance.

Prakash promised me that I could loan one cycle from his collection. I did not disclose to him, that I had never ridden any kind of two wheeler except for a Kinetic Honda I rode, nearly 20 years back. I couldn’t hide my experience with a tricycle as a baby rider.

My name showed among the ranks of professional cyclists in the capital city. There were discussions on the distance, starting time and safety precautions in the group. I was pretty sure that on a safer side, I needed to have a friend to stroll behind or back out, if this adventure wouldn’t work out well. My school mate Col. Ranjit Mathew, had been transferred to Trivandrum as part of his official duty. Even he did not know exactly what his role was. I had to push him a bit to bring him to Prakash’s house at 6’o clock in the evening to take our cycles.

I reached Prakash’s house by around 5:30. I was a bit early. Prakash had an array of gearless and geared bicycles differing in size, color, and tire width. The height of those bicycles could be adjusted according to the rider’s choice. I was not much interested in geared cycles as I didn’t know how they worked. I was very particular about lowering the seat height as I knew for sure, the danger of riding a bicycle, without an assurance on cycle balance. Not a little bit of ignorance showed up in my face. Prakash’s house was located beside a slanting road. Just like a kid helping himself to balance on a bicycle, I crawled down the slope several times and I could proudly manage a fair distance without leaning for any support. By the time Ranjit and one of my cousins turned up, I managed to balance on two wheels.

I had cleared my first hurdle.

From Jagathy, the three of us started pedaling towards Manaveeyam a bit early. I was really thrilled about my achievement. Though I had to use my legs to lean every now and then, nobody noticed. I pedaled up the slopes taking all my energy, and I was literally racing against the other two. People were watching us. Or rather I felt so. Cyclists were not new in the area, but the experience was first hand for me. I felt important. I drove up faster and harder through the slopes. It was just 2 kms from Jagathi to Manaveeyam. We reached the street and parked our bicycles in a safe location. I was standing beneath a street light. Suddenly I felt that the street was curving into a circle. Either Ranjit seemed to grow up, or I seemed to fall down. I leaned onto a nearby pole. I simply lay down on the street. I couldn’t move. Lights seemed to flash above me. The collages on the side walls felt like ceilings over my head. I was sweating rivers.

Ranjit was shocked initially, but he burst into laughter the next second. The ride hadn’t even started and here I lay on the footpath, eyes bulging and breathing hard. There were still another 25 kilometers to go. Before he helped me get up, he took a picture of me lying half dead on the side walk, and gave maximum publicity in our school groups. The best support any childhood friend could offer.

I should mention the street vendor who sold me a magical drink. It was a mix of crushed green chili, mixed with lemon and ginger with a base of sweet fizzy Sprite. I don’t remember how he named it. A glass of this mixture made me sit upright, and gave me energy to walk to my bicycle. I managed to climb on the seat and balanced myself on my legs. The other cyclists were all ready in a row. I was sure that nobody else saw my mishap.

A stream of cycling enthusiasts kicked off, led by Prakash, our Cycle Mayor. Strict rules were to be followed for a safe ride. I followed the old proverb, “Slow and steady wins the race”. We glided through the ups, downs and curves of the beautiful city. There was lovely music following us. I spotted a cyclist with a music box playing old Hindi songs. It was just a Bluetooth set and a portable speaker. But the flavor it added to our ride was beyond words.

It was one of the most beautiful rides I had ever been to.

Ranjit being a fan of ghazals and Mehdi Hasan, and me, being a fan of any kind of music, rode on the left and right of that cyclist. It was like being in an exciting dream. The music, the gentle sea breeze, and the night so calm and soothing. I think the last stretch of road nearing Sanghumugham was the best part of the ride. The sea looked very sexy and gorgeous in the moonlight. I made friends with some of the riders while we chatted on the beach-benches. It was around 10‘o clock in the night.

Riding back, we stopped at a roadside eatery for black coffee and snacks. We reached Manaveeyam by 12’o clock, I felt like I had conquered the world. A 25 km cycle ride was my very first venture into actual cycling. I still do not know whether cycling or that night ride pushed me in to the attempt. I felt that the ride made me more confident. I became a happier individual.

There are two routes you can take in life. Chase your dreams, enjoy life, and taste the goodness around you at its best. You will glow and spread happiness to the world around you. If you fear about what others think and follow strict norms of duties and responsibilities suppressing the passions and preferences of your life, you are likely to breed a lot of atrocious signals that will be emitted to the world around you.

Be a shining light. The world desperately craves for such brightness and energy.

N.B.

Only Ranjit, the streetlight, and myself, had actually witnessed that disastrous start…. 😉