The Perceptual Ride

The Perceptual Ride

“I feel so energetic… All those people out there look so pathetic to me; do they look the same to you? Each of them we see there is selfish, they always think about themselves. They come to us only when they need us. A milk man should not be happy if someone is coming to him every day; they go to him everyday only to buy milk from him and not to show care or concern, the day he runs out of milk, no one will come to see him. He will realize it that day, till then he will keep dreaming that people come to visit him. Anyway I am least bothered about them. What are you doing here? Did you also come to the Bachelor’s party of Ajay? Cheers to you brother!! I don’t get one thing, I have been observing you for a while, and I don’t understand how you are able to manage to stand on your legs and hands at the same time? You are so grounded, you need to teach me that on our next meet; I am getting late to home, Catch you some other time!! Bye…Bye...Bye…”

Somehow that bye I said was sounding different, I started walking towards the parking lot searching for my bike, it was lost somewhere amongst many other vehicles, it was tough to recall where my bike was, and the watchman said it’s here within this premises, his answer was just the way we find it tough to recall where *!#!* is, and some random guy says it’s here, within you. That watchman and that random guy will understand how tough searching for something is only when they start searching for their bike and their *!#!* ( I meant to say peace in the place of *!#!*, enough of censoring bad words in good world, now that the world is bad, it’s time to censor good words!!). And then I realized that bike is right there, in front of me. I was searching for it everywhere, the watchman was right. My good old 100cc bike, I hopped on to it, kick started (no self-start) and started riding back home.

Awe, the ride is so smooth, not sure the credit goes to whom? Is it the bike that’s making my ride smooth or is it the road that’s smooth!! Whatever, I’m enjoying this ride. I always feel, bike is the only thing that trusts me, it doesn’t even know where I am heading to, it just comes along, holding my hands, it only knows from where I start every time and it never bothers about the destination I am taking it to, blindly trusting the me, helping me, to reach my destination. Fish Man!! What has happened to me, I am talking rubbish! It’s time for some action, I yelled “CHEETAH” (chill that’s my bike’s name, I named it now), “VROOMMM” my bike responded, and I translated and assumed that VROOM to be “YES BOSS!!”, and I responded “Let’s do it!!”.

The speedometer was already struggling at top speeds, the accelerator was on full stretch and we were zooming on the lonely street. I was enjoying this feel of speed, and then I spotted a car, few meters away from us, speeding. I badly wanted to overtake it and show a thumbs down to the driver, and then my quest started, I downloaded the attitude on my face and strived to get pass that car, gain speed and momentum each second, beating my own previous top speed records. My goal was just another 2 min drive away, I almost equaled the car and when I was about to win, another bike was trying to overtake me, not just me, the car which I wanted to as well, I kept my speed rising as high as possible, I had my enemies on both sides, I wanted to win somehow. Suddenly, I could hear loud sound of some war tanker, the sound was getting louder each passing second, they were two sport bikes, drag racing each other, each one trying to block the other’s way. We all were in the same lane, thank god it’s one way road. I was lost seeing all this, there were five vehicles in a row, all of a sudden the car started losing its speed, and the bike towards right of me also started reducing its speed, the car suddenly took a left, when I looked on the road, there was one huge speed breaker which had already reached underneath the front wheel of my bike. I jumped in the air along with my bike; the bike on my right was slow enough to remain grounded. The race bikes were also in the air along with me.

At this point in time, in the midair, there was sudden inrush of thoughts. The car didn’t know I was trying to overtake it, I didn’t know that the bike was trying to overtake me. The car knew its potential, but it never tried to speed up just because I was trying to overtake. I wanted to overtake the car, so I was trying with all my potential. Someone else was equally trying, so was in the same speed as mine. The two race bikes had greater potential, so they could easily achieve whatever I wanted to. The Car driver knew he had to take a left, so he slowed down for the turn, the one on my right saw the speed breaker well in advance, so he slowed down and the race bikes were capable for a jump on the speed breaker so they didn’t care to slow down and they were in midair. But what am I doing here in midair with an old 100cc bike?

Before my thoughts were concluded I could feel a heavy impact on to the ground, one big hop, there was a diversion in front of me, I knew I won’t be able to make it, I went straight uncontrollably crashed into a huge tree trunk. I could hear each sound in detail, the petrol from the tank dripping, chain had come out of the gear, and the rear tire was wobbling. I couldn’t close my eyes; I could feel a stone near the eye. My hand was very close to the silencer, I could feel the heat. I knew it was my end. I could recall only the 15min of bike ride; I feel that the god is teaching me some lesson. May be our life is just like this bike ride, we all know when we start, but none of us know when would our end be. I started from Ajay’s villa with a goal of reaching my home, If I would have concentrated on that I would be at home by now, similarly if I concentrate on my life’s goal I would reach it, but on the way my goal changed to overtake the car, then I had to overtake the bike as well, entirely forgetting my actual destination. The car turned left, the bike on the right slowed down as the rider was cautious, the rich kids will easily build upon their parents’ foundation and reach faster, and I am here on the ground, ending my journey abruptly. I could hear few friends call out my name…

I could feel people lift me and put me on the stretcher, aich!! Someone stamped my finger and I wanted punch him on his nose, I stayed still. I couldn’t move even a bit, the last thought in my mind was “what nonsense was I thinking, I had to go home, may be because I am drunk, I suddenly gained wisdom and started thinking of all these philosophies… God please save me, I should tell government authorities to change the slogan, ‘don’t drink and drive, also don’t think shit while you drive’ ”, and then I lost my conscious.

“AJJJAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYY” someone screamed… That sound pierced my ears hard, and I was back to conscious. I opened my eyes slowly, there were many a people surrounded me on the hospital bed.

“Am I still alive? what did the doctor say? How many more days will I live? “  I exclaimed with fear. (SPLASH) someone threw a bucket of water on my face. The water entered my nose and mouth, I struggled hard to breath and I got up from the bed, to see trees all around, I lost all my drowsiness and realized that I am in Ajay’s backyard and not in hospital. All those who had come to the party were around me, I didn’t understand anything. Before I could turn back to Ajay to ask what happened, someone slapped me hard, real hard.

“Ajay, why did you slap me? And what just happened?” I asked Ajay.

“Bugger what’s wrong with you? We asked you not to drink so much that you lose your senses. You were high, the bearer said you mixed every possible alcohol and drank it. You came out of the house, abused your father asking him for some 100cc bike, when he tried to calm you down you scolded him with all possible words and took the security’s cycle, rode it all around the garden, jumped from the cycle, ran towards the tree trunk and dashed it. You lost your conscious and we had to use a bucket of water to bring you to senses.” He replied. “You were so high that you were barking at your dog, asking it how was it able to stand on its hands and legs!!” he added.

“Are you serious Ajay? I thought I was bidding bye to someone, was I barking at a dog??? Yuck!! Ajay please help me, I am feeling cold, real cold. Get me some warm clothes”

Chaaat!! SPLASH!! Another slap and a bucket of water…

“What the hell was that for Ajay???” I shouted.

“Stop calling me Ajay you drunkard, I am not Ajay, I am Manoj and you are Ajay… Come back to your senses now!! Else I will pour a bucket of petrol and burn you down this time, I am warning you!!” replied Manoj.

*** THE END***

-          Manoj Kumar Desai