I love to maintain my equipment and machines. It is an age-old habit. The raison d’etre is the guidance that I received from my late Father. When I was a young child, his Black colored Hercules cycle was my center of attraction. The cycle would be parked neatly in a designated place in the sprawling house, and he would meticulously clean it each day. The cloth would simply dance between his fingers fabled for playing the harmonium and would clean the dirt from all the parts of the bicycle. A weekly oiling regime would make the cycle lighter as it ran and so he always said. He would lock the cycle while parked and the key would be stored inside his cupboard stacked with his personal belongings. On rare occasions, when I would find the cycle on stand and yet unlocked, I would pedal it with my little hands and feel the pulse of the spinning wheel.
Naturally, the growth demanded mobility. In those days, we lived within limited means. We had to create a conducive environment to demand something which was over and above our stature as a young lad. With great courage riding beside me due to my good performance in the school, I mentioned the word Bicycle to my father even as my mother stood with a consent in her eyes. He asked if I knew how many points are to be cleaned in a bicycle? All of 11 years old, I could give a few as I had been watching him doing the rituals each day. He said, start cleaning my bicycle each day after I have come back from work, and we will think about your own bicycle depending upon the shine that I can maintain. It was the moment, and I began in the right earnest from day 1. The following Sunday, my father checked my cleaning and gave me finer tips to cover the whole bicycle and put my soft, little fingers into the hidden curves of the iron machine. The cleaning would take 25-30 minutes each day and the best part used to be to ring the bell at the end as if to announce the completion. 3 weeks down the line and I oiled the bicycle for the first time. The oil dripped at a few places and my father guided me to conserve the oil for a longer use. The message was clear- the resources are minimal, and the outcome must be the best. This message remained ingrained in my mind forever.
One day, as I came back with the first-class result of being promoted into the class 6th grade, I came back home and found a new, shiny red Hero Bicycle parked a little ahead of the Black Hercules Bicycle. I saw that it was locked too even as it stood gleaming bright on its stand. There was no carrier rest on this cycle as it had a sports shape. The cardboard packing was intact in a few places and my heart was now leaping. My mother came with a big smile and handed me over my first ever bicycle key, a set of two. Ecstatic with joy, I inspected the bicycle and unpacked the rest of the covers. All the 41 points that I had been trained on were shining new and the light layer of grease and oil were inviting me to begin the ride. Maybe, I slept fitfully that night imagining the first ride to the school. With the ride to the school came added responsibilities of getting daily milk and weekly flour procurement for the house. At age 12, I was shouldering the responsibility for the house. My body was now filling and the exercise on the bicycle was the right fodder to fuel its growth.
Thus began my love for the machines and to maintain super performers. I went on to buy many in my life and of various kinds retaining my art to understand their upkeep demands. The machines performed their duties, and I was always at the right place at the right time. The habit also made me perform my designated tasks with ease in the Navy as an Engineer and I knew what my machines needed to keep the Submarines scale the oceans.
With my first Navy salary and a part loan, I bought my first Scooter- a Bajaj Chetak. This robust, strong machine helped me to begin my professional life as also my family life. We virtually grew on this machine, and it travelled with us through the length and breadth of India during my Military Service. The Bajaj Chetak is still serviceable and has remained with us as a part of the family.
As I retired prematurely from the Navy, I bought a Honda Activa Scooter to be used by me and our growing Sons. Well, the task of cleaning the machines (albeit with daily help), continued to be a part of my hobbies. I love to open the bonnets of my Cars and keep them shiny. Likewise, I know each nook and corner of my scooters where the dirt finds its haven. My fingers are adapted to wrap the soft piece of cloth and the hose configuration is never disturbed neither do the cables running in the vehicles are strained. The machines work at their best efficiency and perform smartly.
The machines which were to be passed onto the next generation continue to be in my command as the children of today have different plans. They are not excited by the prospect of driving a machine and would rather be engrossed in the virtual world. They do not want to remember the ways to their destination as the digital products keep their visions glued to screens! I had to make a painful decision and yesterday, I sold my Honda Activa to my neighbor, an elderly but active Lady who drives two wheelers. Her existing Honda has lived its useful life and cannot be on the road. I was happy when she asked for my Honda as it had hardly clocked a few thousand kilometers and remains in pristine showroom condition.
As I stepped out from the lift today morning, my eyes went towards the Honda Activa parked in its designated slot. I stopped to look at the machine. It was rare to go on a ride and I knew that its new owner would be taking a ride on it. Its engine is melodious, and it throttles effortlessly on its super tuned engine. I would miss the beat but am sure that the new owner would enjoy the hum. The miles would be clocked regularly now on the Honda Activa, and it would find new destinations.
Nurturing is an important lesson of human existence. I received it from my Father when he first made me clean the bicycle before giving me my own. The habit of nurturing helped me to maintain not only equipment but also human relationships that came my way. Nothing was ever harmed or broken or destroyed, it simply extended to find a new humming spot and sweet connections. Likewise, human relationships were forged only to grow deeper and with ever-green roots. The Honda Activa would continue to be visible to me and keep reminding me of the bond that we shared together. I may never power it up again, but I know that its sound would always feel sweet to my ears. The habit of keeping cleanliness in all dimensions of human existence supports stable life. It keeps the clutter away and the shine tends to attract happiness all around. Go for it, eh!
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