Thursday, March 4, 2010

A summery tale.....






Little Shanu was never the sporty types. Eating, reading and watching TV was all she did during her summer, Diwali and Christmas vacations. The more she lazed around, the paler and rounder she got. On the rare occasions that she ventured out, she was affectionately called Potli (bundle) by the kids in her locality. Little Shanu didn't care. She was happy being round and pale as long as she could laze around.

Shanu's mommy was worried. She never wanted a pale milky child. She craved for some hint of brown, some hint of red in Shanu's cheeks. She tried pestering Shanu to go out and play. But Shanu was a stubborn child. She refused to go out and play in the sun. Its too hot to play Ma, she wailed. Worried, her mom called Shanu's nani for help.

"Dont worry, Main hoon na" Nani smiled and presented Shanu with a bright pink cycle the next day.

The cycle was the most beautiful thing Shanu had ever laid her eyes on. It had a tiny flower basket with a Barbie doll picture. The handles had shiny festoons, while the tyres had shiny beads. Shanu was thrilled. The summer heat didn't seem to bother her anymore and she pulled her cycle out onto the road. The trainer wheels made riding the cycle easy and within no time she was zipping around the complex. Shanu started spending hours out in the sun whizzing by on her cycle. She turned a beautiful shade of brown, mommy was happy and the complex found a new cycling champion.



All good things come to an end and so did this summer vacation. As Shanu pulled her cycle out for one last spin that day, she eyed the long winding road that she didnt dare take all those days. The uphill road was extremely steep and Little Shanu was scared. But she decided to take her chance that day.

As she pedaled uphill, sweat pouring down her face, she realized why this road was never used by the other kids in the locality. The ride uphill was very tiring and the top seemed to be nowhere in sight. But ride downhill promised to be exhilarating and little Shanu pedaled on. By the time she reached the top she was completely exhausted.

The ride downhill was something she had never experienced. The steepness of the road ensured that she didnt have to pedal at all. The wind swept her hair as she swooshed down the road. She felt like a Bollywood heroine with her hair blowing gracefully behind her and the sun kissing her cheeks.The speed thrilled her and she went into a trance.

Her reverie was broken by cries of "Aaga baya sambhal..kuthe bagtes". (Watch where you are going!). By the time Shanu convinced her herself that she wasnt Aishwarya Rai, it was too late. She saw a lady carrying a pot of water standing a couple of yards away shouting herself hoarse.

Shanu panicked.

She started shouting back "Utha samorun utha" (Move aside).

The lady was in no mood to budge. Ignoring the obvious danger, she decided this was the perfect time to give Shanu cycling lessons. "Brake maar na pori" she screamed back.

Shanu drew a blank.

Brake? Pedal? Handle? Woh kya hota hai??

The lady's horrified expression was the last thing Shanu saw, before the cycle came to a screeching halt.

By lodging itself between the poor lady's legs!!

Shanu's mommy's wish of a red cheek wali daughter was finally fulfilled and it wasn't just embarrassment that caused Shanu's cheeks to turn scarlet that day ;)

Any wonder then, that Shanu doesn't cycle anymore??

43 comments:

Meow said...

hahaha.. heheehe lol can't stop lafing.. i love CHOTU shanu very much .. bollywood??/ hair flying like aishwarya rai??? :P niceeeeeee loving your bakwaas :D :D

riddhiculous said...

:D hehe accidental prone chhorii...

Things I loved-

*touch of Marathi
*the story telling technique
and the end.. :D

Anyhow,bicycling has been a very very touchy issue for me. I don't know how to ride a bicycle. :(
that is so embarassing.. my mother never wanted me pink and brown i think.. :(
bahooo hooo hoo bahu huuu huuu..
aayi maaji-:P

Harini said...

hahahaha! great. I had a cycle once... i got stolen :(. Uske baad papa ne mujhe phir se cycle nahi di :((.

N said...

lol...oh, your misadventures, miss adventure :P

btw...noticed for the first time what u've written in the comments section- Main toh apni Bakwas kar chuki....Abh tum kaho!!

u're one crazy woman! with hilarious stories to tell :P

buckingfastard said...

vicious lill cycle...why cant we control dem wid our mind... :D

brought back memories of days wen da dogs of our area were scared of me during my attempts to learn cycling ...dose were da days...wen PETA was not active!!

IceMaiden said...

Aaaaiiiii shapat!!!!!
what a narrative woman!!!! AWESOME! :) (If you arent maharastrian then WOW! That was some accurate marathi! :P)

Took me back to my cycling days when my brother thought it was very funny to put me on that cycle and give it a huge heave without telling me what to do! :| Crazy! :P

You sure are funnny! :P

Cheers,
Annie.

Blunt Edges said...

way too sleepy...but thought i'll read what shanu has written n then crash out.

"Break? Pedal? Handle? Woh kya hota hai??"

Break nahi baba Brake...BRAKE!

now coming 2 your questions:
1. A brake is a device that decelerates a moving object such as a machine or vehicle by converting its kinetic energy into another form of energy, or a device which prevents an object from accelerating.

2. A bicycle pedal is the part of a bicycle that the rider pushes with his or her foot to propel the bicycle.

3. Bicycle handle refers to the steering mechanism for bicycles; the equivalent of a steering wheel.

samjhi? theeke chalo good night then :)

NIM said...

The downhill on a bicycle is the best part...er..but not in your situation..
Things u learn from this accident- Do not feel like a bollywood heroine while handling/driving/riding a vehicle... :p
Poor marathi aunty... :D

Arv said...

a lovely narration... though I would still love to have been there to see the looks on all ur faces :P

Scattered Thoughts... said...

I thought you nani gave pink cycle.. but in the photo or sketch or cartoon or whatever it is, closest thing to pink is little shanu's shoes.. and hey.. shanu is unable to reach to the pedals.. dont tell me you are/were such a gattu :P

Don't tell me I am being too observant :)

Vaise this post reminds me of one of the Mentalie's post..

http://mentalie.blogspot.com/2010/01/i-want-my-goddamn-virginity-back.html

and I am sorry but I am so tempted to ask this one question.. who lost it that day? The lady shanu hit or ... :D

gayathri vishwanathan said...

samor bahgun cycle chalane kaa...cycle chalana is better than going in rickshaws...u see it helps in reducing pollution...so shanu bitiya udhya pasoon cycle chala :)

moonlite:D said...

:D :D,, rofl ..

Arslan said...

hahaha.. :D

Shanu said...

@ Meow

:)Thanks babe :)

Shanu said...

@ Riddhi

Yay..u liked!! Chalo mera likhna safal hua!

Shanu said...

@ Harini

Oh nooo!! Bechari Harini :(

My dad gave my cycle to my cousin when i outgrew it.I still get to see it sometimes at my cousin's house :)

Shanu said...

@ Nikita

Thanks for the compliment ;)

Shanu said...

@ BF

You bet..wldnt the world be a safer place for everyone then :P

Shanu said...

@ Annie

Nahi ga..me southie aaye. But living in Mumbai teaches u Marathi!

Thank God for training wheels. I dunno how I wld have coped if my bro had to teach me how to cycle!

Shanu said...

@ Bluntu

Tu bahut jyada neend main tha shayad kynki i kno its Brake and not Break!!

Thanks for explaining wat brake, pedal and handle mean Mr Engineer!! :P

Shanu said...

@ NIM

Yup, this is a lesson I shall remember for a lifetime!!

Shanu said...

@ Arv

Lol...I am sure u can imagine them ;)

Shanu said...

@ Maheep

Shanu was gattu wen she was little..that was one of the reasons why the cycle was presented to her. Shanu is very lambu now and her nani wishes she hadnt gifted her the cycle!!

And yes, you are being too observant but that is wat makes you..You.

Abt the virginity thingi..Shanu was safe on her seat so she was saved. As far as the lady is concerned, it didnt occur to little Shanu to check before crashing between her legs :P

Next time (if ever there is one) Shanu will defntly check first and then crash!!

Shanu said...

@ G3

Chalel..udhaya pasun cycle chalvin :P

Shanu said...

@ Moonlite

:)

@ Arslan

:)

Blunt Edges said...

cheater!

Gypsy Couple said...

Chotu Shanu rocks .. first timer here .. and a total convert ..!!

Hope you don't mind me coming here a lot :P

Gypsy Couple said...

Ohh btw fgot to ask - who made the masthead for your blog .. it simply rocks ...!

Unknown said...

ha ha ha... cycling is fun... but when shanu does it, its maha fun... loved the marathi in between... fultu aamchi mumbai :-)

Ur marathi makes thackrey proud :P

Shanu said...

@ Bluntu

Woh toh main hoon :P

Cheater ki friend cheater :)

Shanu said...

@ R3d3mption

Welcome to Fullon :)

Yea, Chotu Shanu was way cooler thn bada shanu.

Isse apna hi blog samjho aur aate raho.

P.S: The header was made by yourz truly with some help from the net :)

Shanu said...

@ Spike

We actually have the poor marathi lady to thank for the awesome marathi.

Usne terror main bhi kya zakaas marathi bola :)

Sid said...

Aargh you dont even know how to ride a cycle... :P

COMMUNI said...

Every season I try cycling..but then stop the endeavor once I fall....Its still going on...

Well I still hope to finally ride a bicycle in a not-so-busy road near my house.

Goooooooooood Post dear ;)

Bullshee said...

ROFL!!! Poor pot lady!

BIG Omi said...

am so sure now! are you not from Delhi??

Shanu said...

@ Sid

I know how to ride a cycle..i just dnt know how to brake :P

Shanu said...

@ Communi

Try cycling sweetie..its fun. And let me know how the experience was :)

Shanu said...

@ Bullshee

:P Wat abt poor little me ??

Shanu said...

@ BO

Nope..mez a hard core Mumbaikar :)

Welcome to Fullon :)

Kavya said...

oh my god..it is so funny..I am not able to control my laughter and I am just continously laughing.. my collegue sitting next to me, is just staring at me :)

Anyway, too good post..

Shanu said...

@ Kavya

I am glad I made u laugh :)

♪♪Happy Go Lucky♪♪ said...

LOL!!!! Hilarious! I love the way you write :)