Adventures of The MaMu - 1: Joy Ride

Our MaMu is one amazing character - she is nothing short of *The World's Greatest MaMu*. Her antics make extremely entertaining conversation topics that hold listeners enthralled. I think it's the way she makes ordinary things seem so extraordinary. If something can be achieved in one short n simple step, MaMu will happily go ahead and do it in a 1001 steps, each more complicated than the previous one. But, but, but, but, but... one good thing about MaMu is that she never regrets whatever she does. Even if she makes a mistake, she takes it as a learning experience and moves ahead. She has only her Mom to thank for that wonderful bit of teaching. But again, that's also the reason why she does not repeat a mistake and makes new ones every time ;) Let me tell you about her latest adventure...

Now apna MaMu is doing her Phd in this hallowed institution called the Indian Institute of Science at Bengaluru and stays at her Aunt's place nearby. It was past 9pm one night and MaMu could not induce any autowallah to drop her home. Rather than taking a bus, which was the obvious alternative, MaMu decided to cycle back home. So out came the maroon BSA Lady Bird onto the mean streets of Bengaluru. The IISc subway was navigated safely; that too without getting off the bicycle while climbing up the steep slope. It was proof to the fact that IISc Aerobics had strengthened her leg muscles considerably. She crossed over from SID into the heavily crowded Marramma circle and somehow managed to get onto Margosa Road. Dodging the BMTC buses and the multitude of two wheelers carrying people home, MaMu came upto the 15th cross without any event. But at 15th cross the adventure, rather, the misadventure began.

Street lights are non-existent in Bengaluru or if present, either do not work, or the dim diffused light that issues forth from the ones that work, is completely blocked by the dense tree cover at the sides of the road. On the whole, be it day or night, roads in Bengaluru are always on the darker side. It so happens that at 15th cross there is a huge speed breaker whose presence is felt only when one climbs on top of it. In the dark night with vehicular lights glaring into her eyes, MaMu noticed the speed breaker only when she went flying over it at full speed and banged right into an auto that was coming in the wrong direction! Good God! What a BANG it was! Thankfully MaMu had the sense to swerve away right in time and went skidding down the road with her bicycle. No one was hurt except poor MaMu. But even before she could pick herself up from the road, she was greeted with a string of the choicest abuses in chaste Kannada from the autowallah. What on earth! He was on the wrong side of the road, not her! Mamu should have been the one shouting at him! Stupid fellow! At that very moment MaMu resolved to learn Kannada at the earliest. When in Bengaluru, do as the Bengulurians do - curse in pure, unadulterated Kannada!

Shaking and shivering from head-to-toe, MaMu picked up her bicycle, made sure there were no broken bones and began cycling homeward slowly. There were no further casualties till she reached home, but what an effort it was to drag her poor battered body and soul home! By the time she finished dinner, both her feet had swollen to look like soccer balls and her spine was crying out in deep anguish. Poor MaMu took a painfully long time to fall asleep :( (and the pun here is very much intended!)

Another resolve that MaMu made that fateful night was to never again ride a vehicle on her own through the Bengaluru traffic. But that promise had to be broken almost immediately. What about the bicycle she had brought from the institute? That had to go back. And so, the next morning found MaMu riding her bicycle through Yeshwanthpur circle instead of Maramma circle, which contrary to her belief was even more crowded with office goers and school goers than the Maramma circle had ever been. She finally let out a deep sigh of relief as she entered the campus and made her way to the department. She was happy to be alive!

That ends the first adventure of The MaMu in Namma Bengaluru. For more interesting (?!) anecdotes keep reading this blog :)