You can never guess when your dreams will be fulfilled. I had given in to the sedentary life of a software engineer, coming to office in the company bus, sitting and working for eight hours and then going back home to eat and sleep.
As things happen, my dad bought a new bike. The old bike had grown older and the engine was as good as dead. But that was the bike that I had coveted all along. So I took it to the mechanic and arranged for it to be given a new lease of life (he was going to rebore it).
And so I had a twelve-year-old Kinetic Honda, which was technically dead. No, my dream was not the bike. My dream was to take the bike on a long hazardous terrain, testing my skills as a biker. My dream was to participate in motocross competitions and see if I could take huge ditches and steep slopes. Of course, where is the fun if there is no mud?
It was a rainy day and I was driving cautiously along LB road towards the Old Mahabalipuram Road. Time was 8:45 AM and I was getting late. It was obvious that the straight road into the OM road was completely gone and everybody had to take the deviation along the Velachery road. But as I approached the Velachery road, the traffic was impenetrable.
Rain and traffic make a fine combination if you are on a two-wheeler. I could see a sea of noxious smoke rising in the wet morning from puddles more colourful than the rainbow - the slick oil spills. No it was not my type of a road. I saw one fellow shake his head and go back the way he had come.
It was getting late and I had to take the only alternate route available - the OM road. And so I began the journey. The road was not too bad, I could go at up to 25 Km/hr. But I had to be careful. The road was about to give way to the great lake. The colour of the water was a deep orange leading to black. You could see the rainwater splashing on the surface. But you could not say if the road had survived the mugging or had given in to the forces of lorries, trucks and Mother Nature. Of course, the knowledge that the road was under the care of Chennai PWD was very heartening. So the plunge into the unknown had to be taken.
The great thing about taking a plunge into the unknown is that you are ready for anything. It was an unforgettable experience. The front wheel was rising on a mound and I braced myself. The suspension took a bit of the rise and the next instant the front wheel was going down into the water-covered ditch and at the same time the back wheel was rising. I had to stand up and move my weight forward in order to balance. And before the rear wheel reached the bottom, the front wheel began to rise.
That was only the beginning. The road beyond the lake was not a road. It was muck. I cannot give it any other name. The ground was very rich, rich enough to plant rice. I have never seen a finer combination of sand, dust, water, oil and grease. Beneath all these was the asphalt laid down to provide a very smooth ride.
When I raised the accelerator to make the bike move, I understood what was slip.
The engine slipped in the clutch as the tire slipped in on the road.
It was brilliant.
The bike was standing still with both my feet on the bike.
The engine was roaring and the tire was screaming and I was going nowhere.
It was then that I realized that I was living my dream and no, it was not a nightmare.
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