My Cycle- My Hero

In my humble opinion, the Wheel has been one of the most important invention of mankind. The turning of Wheel has helped mankind to achieve many other milestones. The Cycle is an off shoot of the mighty wheel and "The Lost Bicycle" has generated an interesting debate on the Fox Web.

       

Circa 1981, I had got promoted to Class VI. Like everyone else of my age ,I also desired to possess a bicycle. Those days,the World (and especially India) was a simpler place to live. My father possessed a Black Colored HERCULES cycle. Hercules was a heavy duty and sturdy cycle. Each working day,rain or shine, my father used to pedal from home to Rohtak Railway Station,a distance of about 6 Km one way,to catch the train to New Delhi. In the night,the bell of the Hercules would announce his arrival (The World was much quieter those days and small sounds could also be heard from a distance).

     

My father agreed to buy me a new Cycle provided I learn how to clean the bi-cycle.I undertook the lessons from my father on a Sunday morning and for next 06 Months,I did the entire maintenance of the Hercules. The catch was that I was under strict instructions -Not to Mount Hercules as it was my Dad's favorite.

      

A few days before Janamashtmi of 1981, my Father brought home a a shining Red colored HERO JET Cycle.Incidentally,this cycle had a Stand but no Carrier!!! Strange, but,it was an exact replica of a NDA Bike! My father said that a Carrier was not required as my back would be strengthened if I would ride with the weight of my School Bag on the back. How right he was. Now,I maintained two cycles and had my brand new Hero as my proud possession. The weight on my back made my back sturdy and molded my shoulders to lift weights even as I pumped the cycle to school and back. The 4 seasons of India hardened me well and life moved on till one day I decided to do a stint on the Hero. I had a bad fall and my left knee broke. A great medical debate happened to save my knee.bone and I was pumped with a lot of Penicillin for many many months. I was bed ridden for 5 months and missed my school. As tears flowed due to pain and anger, my Father did the maintenance of both the Cycles as I watched. He polished and rubbed my Hero and kept it greased and oiled. The Doctors got me walking with a stiff left leg and with a bone as brittle as eaten up charcoal.

     

On a visit to our home,the Doctor saw my shining Hero. He was impressed with its shine.He told me to mount it and thus began my physiotherapy. I began by riding on a Stand and realized the firmness of a Stand. A Cycle Stand could withstand all my weight as I sweated to bring my body to motion from the long bed rest. Gradually,my left leg started to loose its stiffness. One day,I took the bicycle off its stand,threw away the crutch and rode on much against the wishes of my mother. My Father was happy when he was told in the evening about the development.

     

I got back to rides and maintenance of the Hercules and the Hero. On Sundays,my father started taking me for Badminton lessons so that my Left Knee could gain more strength. My Hero was my constant companion. It saw me off to NDA where I rode F-46 and maintained it like my own-Hero.