TN 38 AB 8877

A guest post by my bike!

Hey guys my name is TN 38 AB 8877, I come from the Yamaha RX 135 family. If you are a guy and if u ride bikes then you should have heard about me. I was the heartthrob of men during the 90's. I was the popular figure at the college arena, at the racing circuit and even in films i was with the hero helping him in rescuing the heroine, and chasing and dishooming the baaad-men. I was everywhere, Every man in India wished he could own an Yamaha some day. I was the undisputed king of the biking circuit for more than a decade. Then fate played its game, the government banned me in the year 2005 citing that i caused a lot of pollution.I was one of the last few RX 135's produced in the nation. The truth that i will be the last RX 135 to go out of the factory did hurt me. I left my factory in Pune with pride about my past and dreams about my future and traveled down south to a small showroom in an urban town called Coimbatore.

I was there standing in the showroom, eagerly waiting for the prince who will own me. I wished he came soon and released me from this prison of walls, i wished we both could fly at 120km/hr speeds, i started to dream about him, i couldn't wait to see him. One fine day i was cleaned and dusted, i knew my prince has arrived, they polished me, i was fitted with all my accessories and i looked stunning and macho. And finally he came. :( GOD I wanted to shout "NOOOOOOOOOO!!". He was not my prince he looked like a dumb-ass!! I was crying but no one heard me, he came by my side he touched me and i felt like YUCK! He even kissed me on my tank, i wanted to yell " Hey moron please wash your teeth first and then come near me". But i had no other options, i was forced to move out with him. With this idiot on my back i started my long journey.(I later learnt that this moron did have a name... Vicky @ Vignesh but for me he always remains a moron!!)

Have you ever seen a lion from the jungle, caged at the circus amidst monkeys, now that was my initial days. This guy i suppose had never ridden a bike before and his first stint was with me!!.GOD This was like a kid dating on Mallika sherawat.Initially he did maintain me well, he was too proud owning me. but as time passed by i came to meet the sadist in him, He never washed me, never took me to a good service,never took me to a race track, never put petrol for >20rs, and the most important of all he never made a pretty girl sit on my pillion:(. All that i got was men, men with huge bums, men with tiny bums and even men with smelly bums!!! But not a single girl even once!!!(and that is why i call him a loser, i even doubt he will remain one till the end). Not just that he would frequently lend me to men who looked like the Yes-boss villains of tamil cinema, they were equally shitty, and were no better than my moron boss!. At times this guy even endangered my life, once he ran me over a street dog(Waht a shame!!), i survived with bruises all over me! And this guy escaped unhurt!. the second time looking at a pretty girl and doing cheap stunts he drove me directly into a light-post, my body was disfigured but still he escaped unhurt! Finally he brought me to chennai, God this place is shit!!!Look around the traffic, the people, the dust,the pollution, the huge bellied police man, ahh this place sucks!!. And when i see all these Pulsars and Apaches which project themselves rather than the driver i just feel like inviting them for a goddamn race, my blood would boil to show what is it like to be a Yamaha. But see i am not so gifted :(

So you wonder why i am so cynical with him?? Not that he is tooo bad, i know he loves me, we have spent some great times together, racing out pulsars and unicons, trying to impress girls and getting busted, unforgettable trips to ooty driving at breakneck speeds, we both prefer being the darkhorse, he has refused an offer to sell me even as the buyer was ready to pay more than the cost price!now i too have some soft corner him. But why this? coz I lost my kick-starter a month back, when one of his friends who had a leg like a dinosaur and brain like a chimp kicked me on the wrong angle!!! I was fractured and made to stand at a dusty corner of the portico. For nearly a month this owner-moron has not even cared to take me to a mechanic, i have started to rust! Soon i will become extinct, and little he cares , so guys if u got to read this plz plz ask him to take me for a repair.And also warn him that the next time when he does cheap stunts and drives me into a light post i will make sure that he will fly like a frog in slow-mo and the girls around will laugh at him, and i will get away unhurt. I am damn serious, do warn him.

உன் கடிதம் வராத நாளில்...

"I love Thamizh... i think its the most beautiful language and can express even the slightest and most intricate emotions in a much more better and more beautiful way than English or any other language can ever hope to"

யாருமற்ற இரவு. உன் கடிதம் வராத நாளைத் தொடர்ந்து வரும் ஓர் அடர்த்தியான இரவு.உறக்கம் கொள்ளாத பெட்டை நாய் ஒன்று வீதியில் தனியே ஊளையிட்டு திரியும் ஒரு நள்ளிரவு. நம்மிருவருக்கும் பிடித்த நிலா கூட மேகத்தில் தன்னை மறைத்துக்கொண்ட ஓர் பின்னிரவு. உன் கடிதத்தின் வார்த்தைகளை மெத்தையாக்கி அதில் உறங்கியவன் பஞ்சு மெத்தையின் கணம் தங்காமல் வலியில் விழித்துக்கொண்ட ஓர் இரவு.உன் கடிதம் வராத என்னுடைய நேற்று இன்னும் முடியவில்லை, அது உன்னுடைய நாளைக்குள் பிரவேசித்துக்கொண்டிருகிறது .நேற்றைய முன்னிரவில் முதல் முறை தோன்றிய வலி இன்னும்கூட முகத்தில் தேங்கியுள்ளது. "குரல் சரியில்லையே?" என்று அம்மா கேட்டபோதும், "என்னடா முகம் வாடியிருக்கு?" என்று நண்பர்கள் கேட்டபோதும் சொல்ல என்னிடம் பதிலேதுமில்லை. இன்று வரையில் நான் நம்பியதில்லை வராத உன் கடிதம் எனக்கு இத்தனை வலிதருமென்று. உன் கடிதம் வராத என் நாட்கள் வீண் எனில்? நீ வராத என் வாழ்க்கை என்னவாகும்?

"நமக்குள் இருக்கும் இந்த உறவின் பெயரென்ன?" என்று நீ கேட்டபோது என்னிடம் விடையில்லை!. நான் படித்த புத்தகங்கள், நான் வியந்த சிந்தனைகள், நான் கண்ட உண்மைகள், நான் அறிந்த மொழிகள் என அத்தனையிலும் தேடினேன் எங்கும் எனக்கு பதிலில்லை.இறுதியில் தமிழிடம் என் வலியெல்லாம் கூறி விடை கேட்டேன். சிறிய மௌனத்திற்கு பின் நம்மை வளர்த்த தமிழ், நீ கண்டு வியந்த தமிழ் என்னிடம் சொன்னது "இதன் பெயர் காதல் என்று!" நான் ஏதும் சொல்லவில்லை. மௌனித்திருந்தேன்.காரணங்கள் ஏதும் இன்றி என்னிரு கண்களிலும் சிறு துளிகள் உதிர்ந்தன. அந்த துளிகளின் வெப்பத்தில் நான் அணிய வைத்திருந்த முகமூடிகள் அனைத்தும் வெந்து பொசிந்தன.

இந்த இரவு இன்னும் மிச்சமிருக்கிறது, அந்த ஒற்றை மரத்தின் மேலமரும் சிறு பறவைகளின் பாடல் காற்றை நனைக்கிறது.உடைகளற்ற நிசப்தமான மௌன வெளியில் என் மனம் சஞ்சரிகின்றது. அது நம்மால் பெயரிடப்படாத அந்த உணர்வுகளால் நிரம்புகிறது.என் கண்களில் மேலும் சில துளிகள் உதிர்கின்றன, அவை உதட்டினில் பட்டு இனிக்கின்றன.மேகத்தின் நடுவே நிலவும் கொஞ்சம் எட்டிப்பார்க்கிறது, அது நான் இதுவரை பார்க்காத உன் முகத்தை நினைவுபடுத்துகின்றது.ஒரு நாள், சிறு பறவைகள் சப்திகின்ற இந்த இரவை நாம் இருவரும் அருகில் அமர்ந்து அழகாக்குவோம், அந்த நாளை நோக்கி கொஞ்சம் சீக்கிரம் வாடி.

இப்படிக்கு உன்,
?.

Lost in the woods...

It must have been raining lately, the cold breeze still carries the smell of earth, the soil looks soaked and slippery, my bare foot could feel the earth; those sharp little stones, the dew drops on the grass, the watery soil, I could feel them all. My feet is covered with the dark brown mud looks synonymous with the ground beneath. I decide to take a brief walk into the woods, a walk into the mist, a walk into the fading afternoon, a walk from the farm house to the far end. I come to the end of our farm land and the little corner stone turns into my throne.I look all around and there are no humans in sight, all I could see are little shimmering grass insects nearby, the peacocks stealing grains on the distant lands, and a few rain bearing clouds far above. It has just been a few minutes since I started writing all these. I am writing these on an age old diary filled with few strands of mustard colored paper, I am writing these sitting beneath a lonely tree which still sizzles with the last drops of rain, I am writing these after a few tears and a long gush of silence.

The little piece of farm land on which I am sitting now, and the long stretch of coconut grooves through which I had walked are the last remaining evidences of an age old family heritage.This is the same place that my great grand fathers bought with their hard earned money, this is the same place where my grandma ploughed years back, this is the same place where my mom played games in her childhood, this is the place where my memories are preserved and delivered fresh. Days from a not so distant past start pouring in, the days when my grandpa carried me on his shoulders all the way and spoke stories in my little ears, the day when I finally brought the same grandpa who had by them lost his walk and sight, I still remember the tears he shed hugging a tree, I remember the day when I found the ancient British coin hidden beneath the soil, I remember the evenings in the summer when we chased peacocks, the fearful nights when we changed lanes for the flowing water, the countless coconuts we drank, the snake that we killed, the ripe old man who made sheets out of the coconut leaves, I exactly remember the evening of the red sun when Uncle, Arun(my bro) and I walked hand in hand. A little wind has just blown from the north, the tree has just shed a tiny droplet of water on the paper. I scan the diary. The date on the left reads "April 7", I search for the year and the outer cover reads "Executive diary 1994".A beautiful coincidence, I too was there sometime. I very much belong to the 90's, in a way we all belong to the 90's. We are the 90's people.

The clouds are turning gray, it may rain anytime now, let me move to a safer distance. come walk with me.......A little walk has now taken me to the well, the well which once watered the entire land mass, the well where my uncles had their swimming classes, the well which still holds the last breath of many, the well which has been here for centuries and seen empires rise and fall, the well in which the moon sleeps in the night. I throw a little stone into it and after a long pause i hear the stone hitting the water deep beneath.I hear a sound, the voice of the well, it is mystic, it is like the groan of a long forgotten soul. I am back at the woods amidst the coconut trees. I see a few hundreds of them all lined in a pattern as if they are attending a mass. I remember my mom saying that these were planted in the same year when Arun was born. In a way we are brothers of some kind.We have seen each other grow up from innocence, growing up into complexity.I just lie quiet on the ground between my brothers, it reminds me of the slumber I had in my primitive womb.

The time is half past six, it has already started drizzling, the feeble light is fading in front of the eye, the little stone under the lonely tree is filled with gloom, the place looks serene and eerily poetic, the frogs creep and the peacocks screech, my little heaven is getting ready for the night. I finally reach toward my favorite tree in the entire groove, the one as a result of some infection has this bent trunk like an 'L', the one with the most unique look in the entire lot, the one on which i used to glide and play as a kid, the one which is very close to my heart.I touch him, he responds by shaking the huge leaves, he could sense my presence he knows that there is this friend from the good old times,he feels warm, I lay myself on his shoulders, I become a child again. Just like a cattle tied to the pole, I think we are all tied to our childhood memories we always graze for life near the pole of childhood.I close my eyes, i could feel the ecstasy and at this very moment I don't value wealth coz I know that even a few crores cant match the sweetness of a coconut, I don't fear death coz I know that My best days were already lived.

The lightning suddenly illuminates into the darkness.The long wait is over, it has started raining! The rain is dropping all over me, a few have managed to touch the paper. I am still not sure if I am gonna search for a shelter or if I am gonna get myself drenched. But it feels good to stand here, the rain, the woods, the grass, the lil birds, the soaked feet, i feel like becoming a part of very nature.It feels good, just like reading the very last line of a lovely book.

The rain is getting heavy, I gotta close the diary now. My journal ends here.