Like most people at that time, I also learnt to use a cycle. The first vehicle I ‘owned’ was a bicycle that was presented to us (the Indian hockey team) in 1980 for winning the Olympic gold at Moscow. I was so happy. But when I went to claim my prize, I discovered the cycle had no accessories. I was asked to pay for the accessories, which I politely declined. I returned home without my prize, but the same year I bought a scooter.

The acquisition of the scooter is an interesting story. It was a Bajaj which I grabbed without having gone through the process of bookings. The waiting period was more than a year. It so happened that we were playing a tournament (Scindia Gold Cup) in Gwalior and one gentleman from the organising committee wanted to sell his scooter. The demand was huge and one had to shell out double the original price. I haggled and struck a decent deal. It was a greenish colour and the scooter was driven home to Delhi from Gwalior, by a mechanic. I remember the registration number to this day: GPW 737. I was employed with Indian Airlines (now Air India) and this scooter was my Boeing (737).

My best memory of the scooter was, by the grace of God, the fact that I never suffered a fall or an accident. For ₹20, I could fill up the tank. It would last me for ages really. I drove the scooter for five years, using it to travel for practice at the National Stadium, or taking my wife to the Karim’s near Jama Masjid. Shanti Path was a great place to drive around. I have also driven to Aligarh on it.

In 1985, I purchased a Maruti Suzuki. The car was a luxury. It served me well before I shifted to an Innova Crysta (automatic) recently. I also drive a Mahindra Thar now, exclusively for my golfing trips to the Noida Golf Club every morning.

Driving is no more a pleasure in Delhi. But I can’t take public transport either, because they are too crowded. At some point, it was fun travelling by bus from my home in Vasant Vihar to the Indian Airlines office at Parliament Street. I remember the route number (640) too. Sometimes people, hockey lovers who would have seen me in action at the Shivaji Stadium, would recognise me.

I felt sad when last year I had to dismantle my dear Bajaj scooter. Maybe I could have had it painted and preserved it as a souvenir. It is a memory now, but a pleasant one of my early years of driving.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Motoring / by Vijay Lokapally / October 23rd, 2018