~ The Scooter Uncle ~

Just to pass the red light, I had to screech my vehicle due to an unexpected halt – a suddenly turned Red light which just a while was showing 10 seconds to happen but as we know it, the precarious conditions of our traffic management system. I had to halt in an abrupt manner but those 90 seconds of stoppage gave me a profound lesson of my life and it came as a blessing in disguise to follow for the times to come.

As I stopped, there was only one scooter which had taken a halt beforehand, an elderly gentleman was just somehow trying to balance this two wheeler as its engine was not starting in spite of multiple kicks he had done with. It was almost sometime that I was seeing this situation and suddenly a pupil to pupil contact with uncle made me ask him if I could be of help to the elderly gentleman. His reply was on expected lines as his condition in this scorching heat was not good – as according to him he has been trying to kick start his erring scooter since 10 odd minutes but in vain. Getting out of the car, I also tried my luck and started to apply incessant kicks to the machine – to no avail.

Time was passing by and I had to somehow call the situation a quit before I could see the signal turn green – post that situation, I could have seen myself in a precarious situation as I was to be blamed the cause of a traffic jam!

I quickly told my new found elderly friend “Uncle there is a scooter market nearby and you can easily find a mechanic to repair this dilapidated age old machine ( I could strongly sense that the scooter must be 15 years of age ,well past his modest running capacity, but somehow uncle was in love with it for the reasons best known to him.).

After my hasty suggestion, Uncle did not reply but started to again apply kicks to his scooter with a hope that it might start via a divine intervention. I again reiterated my suggestion but this time he was point blank and told me “Beta I don’t have much money to get it repaired, I was going to my shop which has been closed for almost 2 months now due to Covid situation.” He further wanted to share his pain of economic losses that he might have suffered but his self-esteem and adamant ethos combined with lack of time stopped him.

All this reminded me of my toddler days, when me and my father used to ride a scooter with so much pride, and many a times it used to fail us due to abrupt machine disruptions – the fun of dragging and trailing the two wheeler cannot be expressed in words! , though the situation this time was too different considering uncle’s age and the strong situation which led him to get out and start working in order to live a dignified life.

Finally the money was offered to him and with much convincing he took the same though with much reluctance – but with one catch, he took my phone no and promised me to return back the same in due course. Today as I happily jot down this piece of a situation, I did get a call from uncleji with a token of big thanks for the other day – soon I shall be meeting the noble soul who taught me the virtue of “Honesty” which many of younger lads have forgone with fast changing societal degradation, till that time, I pray for him to be again up and running his business as a BC – Before Corona era and show his life skills to all and sundry whom he touches with his elegance and never say die attitude.