Elsie chechie is no more. It was she who gave me Two hundred and twenty five rupees to buy my first bicycle. It was a time Kerala was a beautiful place and families had their own simple love relationships with a lot of children in the family and the parents bringing up the children woth lots of love and less money.
One good thing of the time was the grown up of the families who got into various jobs helped those without it. That was how I was getting my first bicycle's money from my sister who was employed by that time. One fine morning she asked me if I would like to own my own bicycle. Till then, I was getting a bicycle on need based from a local shop on rent. The rented bicycles were good but to own one and that too a new one at that was a treat by any means in those days.
She brought brand new notes and I smelled it, as it was from her Income Tax Office where she worked. But all the same, it was Two hundred and twenty five rupees. I shop off to my eleder brother's house to ask him to accompany me to the Trichur Town City to buy my NEW bicycle. Being a pious guy he got up from the work which he was doing, pulled on a shirt and started walking with me, discussing various shops and bicycles which we will have to check for before getting the one we wanted.
We took the old 'Sreeramachandra' again and got down near the King's statue to cut across the 'Pooraparambu' also called the Thekkinkadu maidan to reach the south of the 'Round' ! People in that place only mentioned it as the 'round' which initially I could not digest. They will say "I am going to the round"! What round?
You don't say exactly where.? Or is that that he may be wanting to go round and round like a merry go round? No..no..! Slowly the clear terms came to the fore. It is 'Round South', 'Round North' etc. where the shops and businesses are located.
So we came to the Round South and got into the bicycle shop what was like a mini-scooter agency in those days. We made enquiries and the price suggested took away the pride of having the amount for the first bicycle and all that. It was Four hundred and sixty nine rupees. God....! While I was looking at the guy with awe for suggesting such a sky-rocketing sum, he was simply standing there with an anxious look as if we may really buy it. My brother saved the situation by telling him that we will call on again after making a few more inquiries. We moved to other shops were different other prices were mentioned.
We had started in the morning and now it is almost afternoon when my brother brought out his new idea. He said he would catch High Road where he knew the shop of CM Joseph and in no time we were there. The board said 'CM JOSEPH Cycle Store" The owner guy, a simple person like my brother received us and asked us to be seated which we readily agreed and took our seats. After our long walk in search of our heartfelt search, we were really wanting to sit somewhere. The CM Joseph spoke on. "Don't worry about the amount you have. Just tell me how much it is, then, I can make a bicycle suiting your purse'" That was a great suggestion. We mentioned our amount and he came up with the most positive and colourful idea. He said "We will have a "Hero" bicycle frame with various other assortment of parts. The seat will be a large leather seat which will be cheaper than the other seats, he said. So it was agreed upon and in a matter of two hours he and his assistants made a beautiful bicycle in front of our eyes, from fixing the wheel with spokes onwards to fixing it on the frame, leveling it on their leveler and owards the end fixed the beautiful large seat in green colour.
There were small green covers pulled on the brake handles, again green soft handle covers on the handle grips, two nice colourful coir flowers rounds in the hubs of the wheels, nice mud flaps etc. We forewent the facility of a dynamo and connected light in front as we decided we will cut down on cost for the time being and will add it as an add on after wards as this will bring the bicycle really in our budget.
At last, the shop keeper handed over the bicycle to my brother (my eldest brother who was acting as my guardian for the time being) and he in turn struck on the seats a couple of times as if he was inaugurating it and said : "Ok...it has come out well. Have this..!" and gave it to me. We started out of the shop and walked out towards the 'Round' again. We still had some money left. So he suggested we will have something to eat now. We have worked hard till now.
We walked to the nearest tea-shop, olden times, hotels were few in Trichur, all were known as 'Tea-shops' . We had a 'masala dosa each and tea' and I could not wait to do the bicycle. Once outside the shop, my brother said : "Now you can, 'perhaps, go on your bicycle and I shall catch a bus, if it is ok with you?"
It was very much OK with me and he walked to the Bus stand called the Municipal Bus Stand which also had another King in the centre. I for one, was on the bicycle, as soon as my brother was out of sight. I reached home on 'Cloud Nine' that day! That was the first and last time, me and eldest brother travelled together. I still keep a bicycle of the same type for memories sake..!
Elsie Chechi saw through my progress on the bicycle and in life.... and was amply happy about it all through till her very end,, which came a few weeks ago.
One good thing of the time was the grown up of the families who got into various jobs helped those without it. That was how I was getting my first bicycle's money from my sister who was employed by that time. One fine morning she asked me if I would like to own my own bicycle. Till then, I was getting a bicycle on need based from a local shop on rent. The rented bicycles were good but to own one and that too a new one at that was a treat by any means in those days.
She brought brand new notes and I smelled it, as it was from her Income Tax Office where she worked. But all the same, it was Two hundred and twenty five rupees. I shop off to my eleder brother's house to ask him to accompany me to the Trichur Town City to buy my NEW bicycle. Being a pious guy he got up from the work which he was doing, pulled on a shirt and started walking with me, discussing various shops and bicycles which we will have to check for before getting the one we wanted.
We took the old 'Sreeramachandra' again and got down near the King's statue to cut across the 'Pooraparambu' also called the Thekkinkadu maidan to reach the south of the 'Round' ! People in that place only mentioned it as the 'round' which initially I could not digest. They will say "I am going to the round"! What round?
You don't say exactly where.? Or is that that he may be wanting to go round and round like a merry go round? No..no..! Slowly the clear terms came to the fore. It is 'Round South', 'Round North' etc. where the shops and businesses are located.
So we came to the Round South and got into the bicycle shop what was like a mini-scooter agency in those days. We made enquiries and the price suggested took away the pride of having the amount for the first bicycle and all that. It was Four hundred and sixty nine rupees. God....! While I was looking at the guy with awe for suggesting such a sky-rocketing sum, he was simply standing there with an anxious look as if we may really buy it. My brother saved the situation by telling him that we will call on again after making a few more inquiries. We moved to other shops were different other prices were mentioned.
We had started in the morning and now it is almost afternoon when my brother brought out his new idea. He said he would catch High Road where he knew the shop of CM Joseph and in no time we were there. The board said 'CM JOSEPH Cycle Store" The owner guy, a simple person like my brother received us and asked us to be seated which we readily agreed and took our seats. After our long walk in search of our heartfelt search, we were really wanting to sit somewhere. The CM Joseph spoke on. "Don't worry about the amount you have. Just tell me how much it is, then, I can make a bicycle suiting your purse'" That was a great suggestion. We mentioned our amount and he came up with the most positive and colourful idea. He said "We will have a "Hero" bicycle frame with various other assortment of parts. The seat will be a large leather seat which will be cheaper than the other seats, he said. So it was agreed upon and in a matter of two hours he and his assistants made a beautiful bicycle in front of our eyes, from fixing the wheel with spokes onwards to fixing it on the frame, leveling it on their leveler and owards the end fixed the beautiful large seat in green colour.
There were small green covers pulled on the brake handles, again green soft handle covers on the handle grips, two nice colourful coir flowers rounds in the hubs of the wheels, nice mud flaps etc. We forewent the facility of a dynamo and connected light in front as we decided we will cut down on cost for the time being and will add it as an add on after wards as this will bring the bicycle really in our budget.
At last, the shop keeper handed over the bicycle to my brother (my eldest brother who was acting as my guardian for the time being) and he in turn struck on the seats a couple of times as if he was inaugurating it and said : "Ok...it has come out well. Have this..!" and gave it to me. We started out of the shop and walked out towards the 'Round' again. We still had some money left. So he suggested we will have something to eat now. We have worked hard till now.
We walked to the nearest tea-shop, olden times, hotels were few in Trichur, all were known as 'Tea-shops' . We had a 'masala dosa each and tea' and I could not wait to do the bicycle. Once outside the shop, my brother said : "Now you can, 'perhaps, go on your bicycle and I shall catch a bus, if it is ok with you?"
It was very much OK with me and he walked to the Bus stand called the Municipal Bus Stand which also had another King in the centre. I for one, was on the bicycle, as soon as my brother was out of sight. I reached home on 'Cloud Nine' that day! That was the first and last time, me and eldest brother travelled together. I still keep a bicycle of the same type for memories sake..!
Elsie Chechi saw through my progress on the bicycle and in life.... and was amply happy about it all through till her very end,, which came a few weeks ago.
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