To ride a cycle...

Humiliation......everyone must have had to put up with it at least once in there life time...For me, i would say, the first one came when i was doing my 4th standard...thinking about it now, i cannot control myself from laughing...some succumb to humiliation, but others try to fight it back, but few start the fight and a handful of people come out stronger and with flying colors....a strong heart, a desire and a will to prove oneself, is all it takes....a small incident more than a decade back in my life taught me to handle humiliation,what it takes to prove that critics are wrong...

It was around 1994/95, i started learning, to ride a bicycle. Till then i had always peddled a bicycle, whose stand stood firm on the earth. The bicycle i had though to have driven was always tall, it took someone to make me sit on the seat and get me back down!!!!! I had never visualised what it really took to ride one :):).....riding the cycle on the road will be the same as peddling it when it is perched on its stand:):) that was my imagination....

There was this particular shop in our neighbourhood, which gave bicycles on a hourly rent basis. Whenever i passed through the shop, something urged me to get one, something told me i will get one cycle from there soon:):)....There was a dark blue cycle, which was very small...I had my eyes always on it...

One fine evening, i had few bucks in my hand and rented the blue cycle.....The shop owner reluctantly gave me the vehicle...

owner: சைக்கிள் ஓட்ட தெரியுமா? (do u know to ride a cycle?)
me: அப்படியே ஒக்கார வச்சு தள்ளி விட்டீங்கன்னா, அப்படியே ஓட்டிட்டு போயிருவேன். (Just push me, having me seated in the cycle, and i will drive)

The owner was glaring at me, maybe that was the first time, he was hearing such beautiful answers:):) So as requested, they made me sit on the cycle and pushed me.....

I had always peddled a cycle whose wheel never touched the surface:):) this was the first date with a wheel on the surface...i just went straight and fell near a ditch...the cycle fell into the ditch, everyone including the owner and people on the road laughed, children were giggling...the shop owner refused to accept the bicycle, and he told me to clean it and give me back after one hour....

with embarrassment and tears in my eyes, i took the cycle and walked all the way to my friend's house....i washed the cycle....kept in sun to dry for an hour and requested my friend to hand it over in the shop....

That was the first day, i had experienced humiliation...i wanted to prove something, i wanted to tel them i can ride a cycle....for the next two days, i mind was hovering way beyond my control seeking a plan to avenge the humiliation......the third evening, i requested a friend of mine to lend me his cycle and teach me to ride....he gave his cycle and taught me to ride too....

It took me one week to master the act of riding impeccably....i went to the same shop, took the same cycle. This time, the shop owner was laughing all the time while handing over the cycle to me....I just took the cycle, rode it once round the street and came back to the same shop...

me: எனக்கும் சைக்கிள் ஓட்ட தெரியும். (i too know to ride a cycle)

with that word, the shop keeper's expression changed and there was gentle smile....i took the cycle and rode it happily for the next three hours in my neighbourhood....all the money was sponsored by my grand dad.....

though a very silly one, this has changed the way i look at things.....one of the few building blocks of scanty good traits in me....:):)