In my first year of college (at St Xavier’s, Mumbai), my dad bought me my first vehicle, against a loan. This was sometime in 1992 or 1993 and my red Kawasaki Bajaj 100cc bike was cool and rugged. Meant for both my brother and I, my father trusted us with the responsibility of using this hip, flashy bike!
I used to clean it meticulously and I never missed a service appointment. Despite that, it was quite a challenge to maintain, in comparison to other 100cc bikes. It had a tendency to break down suddenly, especially when I was in the middle of a date. My strongest memory is a Valentine’s day in college when I was riding down Marine Drive with my girlfriend. We were on the way to a restaurant, and it was a hot afternoon. It simply broke down in the middle of the road, though I had just got it serviced. I then had to push the bike with my girlfriend walking behind me.
While I was pushing, our family friends — a couple — were riding down the road on a scooter. They saw us and stopped to offer us their help. I went with the husband to the nearest petrol pump to get help, while my girlfriend stayed back with his wife. It was not a happy memory.
Those were simpler, poorer times, and the loan placed a little financial strain on my father. But I did have happy memories; after all, it gave me the freedom to go out wherever I needed to go, especially with my friends. But I never undertook any road trips; I didn’t take it out of Mumbai. It usually accompanied me to college, to my friends’ houses.
After I completed my graduate degree, I was admitted into IIM Kolkata and I certainly wasn’t about to ride the bike. It made no sense for me to take it, so I sold it. It had me well for three years. Although technology is much better today, it was still a great bike, for that time.
As told to
Harshini Vakkalanka