Wall Of Death Motorcycle

This was from the time when I was pursuing my MBA from Sinhgad Institute at Lonavala. The most beautiful college campus I had ever seen. It was in the middle of a mountain covered with lush green trees and a dense forest around it. Our college had a big amphitheatre where students would hang out in the evening. All internal roads of campus were winding roads. They were the most fun to drive on a bike. I would ride my bike on them like I was doing Grand Prix motorcycle racing. At the bottom of the mountain was our main gate. Next to it, there was a college canteen, a general store and a bank. Our hostel was at the top of the mountain. So in the evening, everyone would walk down from the hostel to the canteen for tea and snacks. Best of my friends were from that college and I feel grateful for that place for giving me amazing friends. With no doubt that they were highly notorious and I have many crazy memories shared with them. Every one of them was a unique character. Our hostel was no less than a mental hospital. One would walk through the corridor witnessing unusual paranormal activities happening inside the rooms. Sometimes I would just stand in the corridor in my underwear looking at my hostel in awe thinking what a place was that. I believed in wearing only that single garment in my whole 2-year hostel life. Yes, I was unique too as I was one of them.

One day we were in the classroom attending a lecture. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, someone seeking permission to enter. The teacher said Yes. Then entered a boy wearing white sports shoes, yellow track pant with reflectors on it and a black t-shirt. Looked like a Halloween Taxi costume. Who comes to the class like that. The whole class was judging him. His name was Trix. I didn't know back then that he was going to become my friend in future. He became part of our group in no time. He was the funniest and easy going guy. He had two phones and would constantly text someone. In the hostel, we would always find him talking on the phone. Sometimes on both phones at the same time. Then he would offer one phone to one of us and ask us to speak to that random stranger. He would walk to the college keeping his only notebook tucked in the back of his track pants. From no angle, he looked like an MBA student. Trix would be found doing only two things, either on the phone or lying down on his bed. I hardly remember him attending the lectures. His bed was just next to the door. He knew he was very lazy. That's why he had pasted a blank page on the ceiling exactly above his face from where he could read it as he would open his eyes. On that page, it was written, "You Should Be Working". Ironical indeed. He also had this crazy bike which looked like the Wall of Death Motorcycle to me. Whenever he used to ride that bike everyone would check his bike out as it would make big racing noise. It was tall with big mud flaps and equipped with an unusual handle and alien buttons on it.

Soon he met a girl from another class and fell in love. Pooja was an ambitious, career-driven & intelligent girl. Soon we started spotting Trix with Pooja walking together in the campus, sitting in the canteen & amphitheatre. We knew something was going on. Our friend was flowing away in love, he would not spend time with us, his eyes were turned into a heart shape and he was happy more than what was required. We were really getting concerned about the future of..............Pooja. I remember one day Pooja's dad was visiting the college to see her. He had no clue about Trix & Pooja were together. But Pooja was planning to introduce Trix to him. In the evening I was sitting in my room when Trix came to me and told me that he, Pooja & her dad were planning to visit a temple nearby and they needed one more guy with an extra bike. He was wondering if I could join them. I said Yes. The plan was Pooja's dad would sit behind Trix and Pooja with me.

Next day morning Trix came to my room to wake me up and gave me keys of his bike. He said it is better if I drive your bike to create an impression on her dad. I had a brand new Pulsar bike and it was the most famous one in those days. I said sure go ahead and gave him my bike keys. He was waiting in the canteen with Pooja & her dad while I was getting ready. I took his bike keys & went to the parking to start the bike. I felt like I had just approached some alien machine. I had no clue how to start that bike with all those unfamiliar buttons. I tried on my own for some time but it all failed. So I called him to understand the users manual. He explained to me some unusual ways to start the bike. Finally with the aliens grace the bike started making that iconic earth-shattering noise. As I was driving through those winding roads, it took me back to my childhood where I had gone to a circus with my mom. And there was the show of Wall of Death where motorcyclist would ride on the barrel-shaped wooden cylinder with high speeds that it would scare the hell out of me. I immediately came back to my senses and started focusing on the road while everyone passing by was looking at me thinking who was that guy with such a bike.

I reached the canteen and obviously, everyone looked at me as I parked the bike. Pooja's dad was already judging me. He was thinking in his mind who drives such bikes in MBA college, boys these days are gone case..... and what not. Then I went to them and said hi to him. He was in complete shock to see that my daughter knows that kind of a guy. Then she explained we all were good friends. Shortly, we left for the temple. After reaching Lonavala city we stopped to fill the petrol. Again I had no clue how to open the tank as the alien mystery of that bike continued. I called Trix and asked how to open the tank. Pooja's dad was like, 'Why is he asking you, isn't that his bike?.' So Trix explained to him something. I am sure it wasn't good as he kept judging me for firstly owning such bike and then not knowing how to open the god damn tank. Standing at that petrol pump I guess he figured out the future of his daughter was safe with Trix. That bike had a huge contribution to them getting married.

In the end, it proved to be a "Bridge of Love" motorcycle than a "Wall of Death" motorcycle.