Bicycle times

Raleigh deserved all my attention — daily cleaning, wax shine, and a prime place in garage

India opened up its market some time in 1993; the then Finance Minister swept us off our feet with bold sweeping measures. It took another decade for the market to take off in the IT field, post Y2K debacle. It took another few years since then for Indians to realise how the policy changed many other fields — to name a few, pharmaceuticals, restaurant chains, vacation homes, fast food, five-star hotels, cars, bicycles, and many more.

Bicycles bring me lovely memories. Circa 2011, my younger one demanded a bicycle, and her preference was the Firefox brand. We visited a neighbourhood dealer who was professional and allowed her to try a few ones before she picked her favourite blue. She was excited, while we went through delivery formalities. We loaded her new bicycle into our car and drove home. The charm and the novelty factor has diminished since then, but the bicycle takes a prime position in our garage — almost hooked to a wall!

Circa 1977, my district-level rank in public exams facilitated a nod of approval from my father. He agreed to buy me a new bicycle — Raleigh, the gold standard then. Bahusar agency in Mysore was another gold standard for a purchase, and among a heap of pretty identical not-much-of-a-choice selection, I closed my eyes and touched the one which was destined to be mine, or maybe not!