What’s a thing you were completely obsessed with as a kid?
Innocent about the ways of the world, a kid tries to explore it through anything they see in front of their eyes. With a bundle of energy, a kid would naturally be drawn to things that are in the domain of their elders and are dynamic.
Of the many activities I was obsessed with, the thing that I remember most is cycling. In the nineteen-eighties, people in the villages of India mostly had bicyles as vehicles for commuting short distances. My father did not use any bi-cycle while my uncle was always on the move with his one.
Luckily I found a bicycle in my neighbour’s home, which used to remain idle most of the time. Every morning after my studies, I used to take the bicycle and simply walk it from one home to another. It was a kind of obsession I could not get over and became a daily routine. I was still not able to ride it as that would require me to be tall enough to be able to be seated with my legs reaching the ground. Also it needed training and physical balance.
Later slowly I learnt to ride half pedal. I reached the pedal on the other side by putting my right leg across below the cross bar. Riding half pedal was enough for me to go around my village.
It was many years later when I grew up that I learnt to ride a bicycle. But I remember those days when I used to simply walk it. That activity kept me engaged and gave me a lot of fun.
Trickles of Tales 