The Trip

Arjun began to question the wisdom of this journey as they rode to Mysore in all darkness. It had been 5 hours since they left the hostel. A bike ride to Mysore should have taken them not more than 2 hours.

Arjun was a senior at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bangalore. With his small built and baby face he could easily pass off as a high school student. He thought that he was a genius and his friends agreed with him. After all, he was the only person from his district to ever go to the prestigious institution. And his people skills were commendable too. He was always popular with his friends.

He loved his friends, but he had begun to love her more than anyone else. Her name was Ananya. They happened to meet by chance, 6 years ago, at a literacy awareness program. Slowly and steadily they had gotten close to one another. As Forrest Gump would say, Arjun and Ananya were like carrots and peas. Arjun got through his IIT entrance examination and moved to Bangalore, leaving Ananya behind.

Sometimes getting away from people helps you understand your relationship with them.

Over the four years Arjun was in Bangalore, they kept meeting during their vacations. The distance made them realize that they had become more than “just friends”. College was about to end and Ananya’s parents would have started the groom hunt after her graduation. Arjun thought it was time he proposed her. Ananya was visiting Mysore for a cultural fest. He saw an opportunity in meeting her alone there. It would take him 4 hours by bus and 2 ½ hours if he could get a bike ride. Going by bus was his only option after his bike was consumed by a truck last month. He never accepted his mistake of riding rashly. His dad who was a middle class bank clerk swore to never give him a bike again.

The vintage clock in the Electronics Lab showed 2 p.m. Even if they could make the 3 o clock bus he won’t be able to come back that day. He asked his room-mate Rohit if he could accompany him on his journey. That way he would have some company and could get a ride on Rohit’s bike. Rohit had his dad’s old CD-100 which barely worked, yet he obliged. They finished their lab assignment early and hit the road by 3. They had just one helmet and they decided that the rider will wear it. They were very excited but scared as well. The Bangalore-Mysore highway was a two lane road, notorious for sharp curves and accidents. It looked as though it was designed to keep the accident rates from dwindling.

Rohit was a little wary about the loose breaks. He hadn’t really worried about it as he never intended to take a long road trip.

“ Let’s stop at some mechanic shop and rectify the brakes.” he told Arjun.
“ Why waste time. There is hardly any traffic. We will not need brakes,” replied Arjun, “ Can I ride for some time.”

“No way. Don’t even think about that, after what you’ve done last month.”

Bike trips can be a little boring in hot weather. There’s no AC, no music and you have to shout for the other person to be able hear you. Arjun was making efforts to strike a conversation. The usually reticent Rohit was aided by the helmet now, making it difficult to hear or speak.

“ Ramnagar !!! Look at those huge boulders. It’s the same place where the movie Sholay was shot”, Arjun shouted hoping Rohit could hear him. “We should come here for a hike someday”.

“Keep looking for a mechanic shop. We need to get the brakes checked,” Rohit said.
The bike began to wobble. Rohit took the bike to the road-side to inspect it.

“ Oh No ! It’s punctured”, Rohit said. “We will have to walk back to the nearest mechanic now.”

“Don’t worry. Give me the bike. I can push it for a while”, Arjun said.
They took turns pushing the bike for 3 miles when they spotted the board “RAM PANCHAR SHOP”.

MYSORE 90 KMS.
The milestone near the puncture shop said.

They resumed their journey after the tyre was fixed. They crossed small towns and villages on the way. Channapatna, Maddur, Mandya and then they reached Srirangapatna, the historic capital of the great warrior Tipu Sultan. They stopped there to fill some petrol.

“ Can I ride now. It’s only 20 minutes from here. I don’t ride so badly,” Arjun said.

Rohit was very bad at saying no. He allowed Arjun to take over. There was not too much traffic and Arjun was pushing the limits of the old “about to die” bike”. He kept thinking about her. What if she says yes and her parents don’t approve of him. Will she go against them ? Should he have informed her about his plans ?

“Brake !!. Take it to the side”, Rohit shouted. And before her next thought could cross his mind Arjun had slammed the bike into a white SUV. They fell down with the bike. The SUV stopped for a moment and then sped away. Rohit got up and helped Arjun who was lying under the bike.

“Are you hurt ?” asked Rohit.
“A little bit. Some bruises on the forehead.”

The bike was reduced to half. The head-light had broken and flown far off into the trees. The front tyre-guard was bent and the tyre was brushing it.

“ I am sorry. I couldn’t stop. I pressed the brakes as hard as I could,” Arjun said.
They broke a twig from a nearby tree and pushed the tyre-guard up. The sun was about to set and it was not safe to ride without lights.

“Let’s ride to Mysore. 10 kms to go. We will not need lights if we drive behind some vehicle”, Rohit said.

Rohit rode the bike to Mysore and Arjun sat behind questioning the wisdom of this journey.

They found a repair shop on the outskirts of Mysore. The mechanic told them that they can pick up their bike the next morning. They left the bike in the repair shop and stayed at a motel for the night. In the morning when they were on their way to meet Ananya, Arjun got a call from her.

“Hey, where are you? Come out soon. I am right in front of your hostel”