It was a Harthal day yesterday,
an ostensible holiday for us, the Keralites. The very day before this festival, had always
been very important for us. We would be in utter rush to queue up before the Kerala State Beverages Corporation Limited, buy chicken, hire film CDs and the preparation goes on depending
on one’s own wisdom. The monsoon rain kept my buddies warm under their blankets.
But the idea that I have to work on the coming second Saturday, as a
compensation, made me wake up earlier than ever. I knew that the roads would be
devoid of the 6 and 8 tyre mammoths. So the only way to reach office was to
rely on my 1996 model Yamaha RX-G. No sooner than I crossed the village
borders, it started drizzling again. It was an embarrassing moment, when I
realized that I might be the only man left in Kerala, who hadn’t bought a
raincoat yet. Even the vigilant cops at every nook and corner were clothed in the
same. I smiled at every passerby, who was looking at me, as if I was the eighth
wonder.
As my horse galloped towards the
highway, I could hear a roaring sound chasing me. I accelerated my bike, and at
a point when the speedometer begged, I slowed down and it was all on me, as if
I had been dipped in a water tank along with my bike. Soon I was a submariner.
The roads were creative enough, which reminded me of the childhood puzzles of
finding the right way. I reached my office on time, fully drenched. As I entered
the AC, I shivered. It was chilling. My lips started doing Salsa without my
command.
Everybody greeted me in surprise,
somebody even commented “Happy Holi”.
But how could I express how much I loved the rain biking. You get rejuvenated when the fresh jumbo
drops fall on your face straight from the morning sky, on a stretched, isolated
NH-17. By the time, my dress dried up, it was evening. I went for the rain
biking again. I saw those glances again, but this time, it was out of jealousy,
I haven’t planned to buy a raincoat yet, until this mania gets over...
(Linking this to Ultimate Blog Challenge)
(Linking this to Ultimate Blog Challenge)
