Biking for Beginners

Today was the first time I rode a bike! The feeling is just exhilarating...

Courtesies to my brother, a recap of today's half-hour biking.

Actually, to sum it all up, in one line, biking is all about a careful manipulation of thrust/pressure on four limbs -

Right hand on the accelerator and brake (for the front wheel)
Right leg on the brake (for the rear wheel)
Left hand on the handle and clutch
Left leg on the gear control

Step1 : Make sure the Petrol is pointing towards ON. (trivia)

Step 2 : Insert the key and turn it towards on. (trivia)

Step 3 : Check if the gear is on neutral. Start the bike, I kickstarted..see!

Don't exert pressure on the clutch or the accelerator while starting. Well, you could try, but the gaadi won't budge.

Step 4 : Change gears to GearI. While changing, hold on to the clutch.

Step 5 : THE TOUGHEST FOR A BEGINNER
After the gear is changed, hold on to the clutch. Increase the accelerator (as in rotational movement of the wrist) and release the hold on the clutch simultaneously and proportionately (or is it proportionally?)

Troubleshoot : The bike might stop with a jerk.
This only means that the release and increase were not proporti0nal.
Either
1. You did not release the clutch fully.
2. You did not increase the accelerator enough for sustained motion.

Remember : Don't aim for a smooth, zooming flow initially itself, it's important to get a feel for the motion of the bike, let the gaadi move a few inches slowly and that means you have control.

Step 6 : If you have travelled the first few yards smoothly, after overcoming balance problems and simultaneous control, you'd probably want to change gears.
Everytime you change gears, reduce the accelerator a little, hold on to the clutch, and change gears.

The changing gears technique might differ from bike to bike.

And then you can keep riding on and on...

DAYI I had trouble getting to start, failed at Step 5 a couple of times, 1/5 times I started the bike, did it move forward! Will practice tomorrow.

Strategy for tomorrow : Look ahead in front of me, and not at my feet for the gear, or at the clutch. And of course, move 3/5 times after starting.

More lessons as I learn...

Yours

Deep Dark Wish

One of the deepest wishes I have is to land (or reach somehow) an empty stretch of land, that extends to infinity atleast to as far as my myopic eye can see...

Let's characterise the land more...it could be grassy, a little wilderness, but the grass blades should not exceed my knee height (from the ground!).

Ideally, I should not be able to see anything but land and land for miles, but if not possible, a few buildings(just two, may be) are allowed a grace appearance.

With hands on my hips, all free to stretch without constraints, I'd probably look around just to re-check absence of people.

Oh, I forgot to mention that there should be no people, none whomsoever. Not even looking from buildings...(shakes a finger menacingly, subsequently softens hoping that you'll accommodate).

And then I'd stand in the middle, hands on hips, look around for a last time, close my eyes, take a breath and yell my heart out...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! until my breath permits me, in between opening my eyes once I am no longer conscious. And I smile for having done what I've always wanted to...

Peace reigns.

Yours

PS : I haven't re-read the 'post', but if tenses have changed in between, don't worry, I am not yet in delirium!

canned laughter please!

A revival of sorts...

The night before yesterday was an eye-opener for me.
As I was a part of a Sanskrit recital, I was led into thinking about origin of Tamil. Right from how most Tamilians cannot articulate aspirated sounds, whether voiced or voiceless set me wondering about how only Tamil missed the aspirated letters. In comparison to the Sanskrit Varnamala, the entire 'kavarga' is represented only by 'ka' in tamil. And there are no counterparts for the aspirated 'kha', unaspirated but voiced 'ga' nor for the aspirated and voiced 'gha'.
And so to speak, Tamil seemed to be the one left out. As far as my knowledge runs, the other dravidian languages have their aspirated sounds too.

On posing the question to my dad, he matter-of-fact-ly says, "Yes, so Tamil isn't derived from Sanskrit." That kind of took me by surprise. I exclaimed and went on to question about the origin of Tamil. And so it seems that Tamil is older than Sanskrit. What also was a revelation to me was the fact that Tamil grammar is so elaborate that the voiced and aspirated sounds are also included in its rules. That it is said in grammar, that if x is flanked by k, and b on either sides, pronounce it as 'something else'. And owing to its antiquity, the rules of grammar are hardly known to people today, and letters in Tamil are pronounced literally. And, so the infamous pronouciations.
Also, Tamil is the only language to have a 'zha' (the letter does not have an english counterpart).

Vaazhga Tamizh

Yours

The shell has broken, the sun has risen!