The green mound of grass.

(This is the fourth posting in the series relating to my childhood.)

When your brain hasn't yet reached the adult stage it tends to have a fancy of its own. It assumes gigantic proportions where there is none! In most cases thereafter, learning becomes a trial and error method. Age 5 is almost always the most suitable for this method!

My summer holidays in the village taught me a lot. My 3 elder cousins were my professors for the summer courses.

Cycling was something I desperately wanted to learn. Madan and Babu would sail past me making me envy them. It took them places, gave them freedom to roam, gave them speed…….everything i wanted to do to be able to keep up with them. 

Janani couldnt have cared less for all these things.She was too la-di-dah for all this! But she excelled in other fields like how to curl your hair, how to fuss, how to pass on the blame to someone younger, et all.

Babu was the tallest and the eldest. And he grew up with Paati (grandmother). He was a thoroughbred villager. He knew exactly which tree to climb, which pond to go for a swim in, how to catch a tadpole, how to milk a cow, how to untie a baby calf and have it junp widly up and down, how to slide down a huge pile of hay stacked 10 feet tall. how to climb up the tyre of the huge Tractor and  be seated in the seat of power and glory, how to collect notice for the latest movies, which Talkies screened Tamil movies etc etc. And he was an expert in cycling!

Oh! To have the wind running through your hair and flitting over your face!

OK.

He had a BIG cycle. I looked like a regular midget next to it. He was kind enough to give me a ride. (Madan was the one waiting to take me for a solid ride!)

Babu brought a smaller cycle on hire. 10 paise for every hour was the hiring charges. On thinking back it was the ugliest, rickety-est, wobbly contraption in the name of a cycle, but then it was my golden chariot! The one that would take me away from the demons! I hugged it and got poked by the handle bar!

Now, the street where we lived was dotted with street lamps. The regular old timers ..concrete mound which held the elaborate designed wrought iron post in place. Since the house was situated right in the middle of the line of houses, we had a lamppost outside the house. The street ran its way down the slope and took a sudden turn to the left. It was a rough ‘kaccha’ street with gravel jutting out in places that hadn't been covered in the sand. Just beyond the turning was a mound of green.

Babu plonked me on the crooked seat that made me feel I was sitting sideways. The handle bar was fine. Only thing was it didn't have a brake. One was expected to stop the run by using their feet to halt! Too many things to be kept in mind for a learner!! Anyways, there I was, perched on the cycle, holding on to the bar while leaning precariously on Babu trying to push-pedal a tyre that had little to no air! Babu, the sweetheart that he was, kept telling me not to worry, to look ahead, face up, head up, body staright, pedal and keep going. He was right beside me.

Soon he was right behind me, holding on to the seat from behind. The rigorous going up and down had him panting and me asking for more! He decided that he had had enough. In the meantime I too had progressed!

The time for the test had come. He made me climb on to the cycle on my own. Now in order to do this I had to first place the cycle against the street lamp. Then I had to climb onto the concrete mound and then mount the cycle as one would a horse!! Babu was kind enough to hold me. All too soon hold came to push and push to shove!! I was airborne!! Flying through the wobbly street on a cycle that seemed to wobble all the more! I kept talking to Babu assuming him to be right behind me, but he wasn't! Fear gripped me. I was cycling on my own! I started yelling. Fear made me pedal furiously instead of slowing down. I was now on the slope down and gaining greater momentum and speed! How do I stop myself??? No idea! Only thing I could do then was scream! I headed straight for the green grass and fell with my bike! Bruised and hurt but triumphant!!!

Its another story altogether that I had to trudge back with the cycle pushing it all the way cos I had no street lamppost to mount my bike back on at that end of the road!

But I soon graduated to riding the bigger bike monkey style! One foot through the triangle and standing even as you pedal! Loved it!

And Babu was proud of me!

Thinking about those days still makes me smile!