My First Bike

I remember when I was 5 years old we were living in a small rented house. Our family was going through a really bad financial phase. My dad would travel every day to another town for work. When he would come home in the evening we would go to the Ganesh temple. It was the biggest temple in our Wai town. There was beautiful ghat around that temple, set of stairs leading down to the river Krishna. That place was like some painting of a town. Everyone would come there in the evening to socialize. There were few ice cream stalls and the waiters would roam around to take orders with a steel tray in their hands. I would get ice cream once a week. One evening we went to the ghat after my dad came back from work. I was playing with some kids while my mom & dad were sitting on the ghat. They seemed more serious than usual as they were talking about something. After playing I went to them and sat in between them. Suddenly, I saw the waiter passing by and I shouted Ice Cream. He came to us to take the order. My mom told him, 'Sorry, we don't want ice cream.' That had never happened that I was denied ice cream. I knew something was wrong. So I looked at mom and she said, 'Sorry, we don't have money.' And I saw both of my parents sitting with their head down in complete helplessness that they could not afford a 2 Rupees ice cream for their only child. I couldn't even imagine what it feels like to be a parent in that situation. I kept quiet and then we walked back home after a while. That incident was the most painful and hard-hitting experience for my parents which pushed them to come out of poverty and provide a good life for their child.

As years passed, my dad got better jobs and promotions with a good salary. We built our first home in Wai. Later we bought a flat in Pune. Things were going really great. I had seen the bad times and then I was enjoying the good times. Still, I would never demand anything from my parents. I guess it was the childhood conditioning from the struggling times. I wasn't born with a silver spoon. When I turned 20 I came to Pune for further studies. First 2 years I spent exploring Pune through city bus. Living in Pune without your own vehicle and completely dependent on city transport was miserable. It was a daily struggle. But I didn't complain and had accepted it. But dad realised that and one day asked me if I want to buy a bike. I wanted to but I was concerned about spending money. Rather I would travel by bus only. So I said there was no need as of now for a bike. But my dad anyways asked me to enquire different bikes and get quotations. In 2 days I got a few quotations for bikes costing 30k to 40k. My dad looked at them and said which was the best bike in the market. I said, 'Its Pulsar but I didn't get its quotation as it's very expensive.' Pulsar was my dream bike. It was the sportiest among all with its mag wheels and eye-catching look. Dad asked me do you like that bike. I obviously said Yes. He then asked how much does it cost. I told him it was around 60k. He said, 'That's fine, we are going to buy it tomorrow.' I couldn't believe my ears. Was it real or some dream? I couldn't sleep that night thinking about riding Pulsar.

Next day we went to the Bajaj showroom and checked the bike. I selected a black colour for my brand new Pulsar Dtsi 150cc bike. It was the happiest day of my life. I was walking around my bike, touching it everywhere, checking its every detail and smiling thinking about the beginning of a new life. My dad was standing there looking at me getting excited about the bike. We came home, he handed me some money and said, "This is for the party your friends will ask you for the bike. A little Ice cream treats from me." That took me back to the ghat when I was 5 years old sitting with my parents who felt helpless that evening. I still have that bike and I ride it with pride as a gift from my dad.

What Parents Can Do For Their Children Is Beyond Imagination.