The family on the Green Scooter

 Was browsing through the sad news of Stalwart Rahul Bajaj's demise on newspaper today. There was one article along with a pic of the famous ad in which a man is wiping the front of the scooter with a white washcloth. The green shade of the scooter is unique, darkest of the leafy green but not quite touching the olive zone.

The first scooter my Dad ever owned was Bajaj Chetak in the same dark green shade. I remember my mom narrating the story of how we saved pennies to purchase that scooter. In those days, scooter was a premier product and not easily available in Berhampur, Odisha. Much to our delight, one of my uncles helped us get it from Kolkata. Me, my sister and brother were tiny tots and used to reside in the coastal sleepy town of Berhampur which was just 30 odd kms from the now super-famous Gopalpur beach. And the first ride we ever took on the majestic Chetak was to this beach. What began after this was a series of most looked forward to happenings of our young life ; weekend picnics to the beach. I was the tiniest of the lot, hence used to stand infront of Dad holding the handle of the scooter squinting hard at the wind and trying to tame down my hair which turned into Einstein's infamous hairdo in minutes, while the rest of my family used to pile up behind. My bro sandwiched in between Mom and Dad & sis on my Mom's lap. The family on the Green Scooter! 

The sea held immense charm for us, the thrill of frolicking in the surf used to keep us excited the entire week long. Mom & Dad keeping an eye on us from afar sitting on the mat while sipping on the sugary chai sold by the hawker and we three kids going delirious with joy in the waves. And when we got too tired after our frolicking, we used to get treated with hot Samosas which we had carried with us from town. There were hardly any shops on the beach. Those were the times, when the Gopalpur beach was yet to bask in its share of fame which it duly received in subsequent years after the establishment of Mayfair chain of resorts there. 

This tradition continued for a long time till we kids outgrew the scooter ride. The dark green scooter gave way to light blue one after few years and many more after that. But those initial rides to Gopalpur beach on our trustworthy Chetak will forever remain etched in our memories. It was not just a scooter, it was our ticket to self-sufficiency, independence and progress in life. Not just for the little family on Green scooter in the tiny town of Berhampur but for the middle class of an entire nation.

Rahul Bajaj. May you rest in peace, wherever you are.