As the lockdown is still reigning all over the world, we all are engrossed In various time consuming activities to make ourselves kill the boredom of homely life – some are absorbed in doing Yoga for a healthier being, others are walking past several miles to test their strength. For some bicycling has been a newfound passion nowadays, I see many young and old lads donning their bicycle attire and paddling through streets and narrow lanes of Delhi treading miles to test their muscle. Off late, I went to a bicycle repairing shop for a purpose and had a chance meeting with Ashok – the owner cum mechanic – a one man show who at times take the role of the owner and at others sits down on his stool and starts to repair the machines with his favorite tools in hand.
In the midst of a prime Delhi mart, Ashok has a dilapidated shop, the man sits fully engrossed in his work – doing his karma endlessly and without any distraction. Ashok had taken the reigns of his current skill from his father who happened to be a car mechanic at one point of time. Due to uncertainties of his future, he left his job and invested in this small shop almost 20 years back and started repairing cycles to earn a livelihood.
Strolling on his father’s footsteps, Ashok had no other obvious choice but to learn the tricks of this trade and start working with his father after he came from school. As he tells me that he like repairing cycles as he was very skillful at this craft. His father had given me a cycle – an old “ATLAS” standard bicycle (black in color) when he was still a student in class 10 – it seems to be a luxury at that time and he used to ride the Black Beauty’ as he famously called it – he used to keep on modifying it tits and bits as per his choice and style and almost used to dismantle the whole machine to zilch – only to assemble it again.
He further tells me that he was not
a very good student at school – and this was well noticed by his father in his adolescence,
he was thus asked to come over to the shop and at least spend some time post
school hours. Slowly and steadily, Ashok started a liking for the work and this
is how he was totally consumed in it post his school life.
Asking about his current state of
mind regarding the situation he is in due to ongoing pandemic, Ashok starts to
speak in all enthusiasm “ My business has almost tripled, people have started
to buy bicycles of all make and designs and many of these machines I have seen
for the first time…”
Ashok seems to be a ready reckoner
of all the bicycles, and he does his work oblivious to outside traffic or chaos
passing by. He has his standard ‘Uniform’ which he wears everyday whilst he
does he work – It consists of a sleepless vest (engrossed in oil and grease),
he has not washed his vest since ages- though smelly , he laughs and says “ It
is my body perfume.!”. He wears a tericot trouser (brown in color) as I see him
donning it everyday to his work.
He has a son who is also a cycling enthusiast and he comes to his father’s shop from his cycling tours with his friends for a selfish purpose – to repair his ailing cycle free of charge. As time passed, Ashok was finished with fixing cycle of my kid and was quick to look towards looking onto another cycle which was in queue to be repaired – paying him for his well deserved labour , I said a thankful adieu to him with a promising hope to see him again when again my kids manifests a technical error in his cycle which cannot be done at home – till then Good luck my friend Ashok – your commitment and honor of work bestows us all with an refreshed zeal to work hard and respect what you do!
