The other day, as I was about to leave my house to pick my ten-year-old from school, my phone beeped. It was a message from a friend, requesting me to pick her twins as well as she was occupied with some work. I immediately texted “Sure” and drove off.
Suddenly I realized, that her kids being six needed to be buckled up in booster seats. Without losing a second, I took out a spare one from my car trunk and placed it next to my younger one’s permanent booster in the rear seat of the car.
My elder one being ten had already graduated to the next level and hence I felt three kids can easily share space in the back. But to my utter dismay the moment my son noticed, that he needs to squeeze into the lone space left in the back seat of the car, he made a face. Being a mother, it took me a second to read his mind. He was not happy compromising his comfort or in that case sharing space with the other two.
“Mom, how am I going to sit ………………?” there came this question wrapped in form of a soft murmur.
As soon as I lowered the rear-view mirror, I could see his coerced smile which was synonymous with discomfort. I tried hard to distract his attention, but to no avail………….
This took me down the memory lane, when we were kids. Back in early 90’s we would commute to our school in light three wheeled hooded vehicles called as Rickshaws. A vehicle similar to a tricycle, having a seat for passengers behind the driver. Those days Rickshaws used to be one of the chief modes of transport in my native Bhubaneshwar and they left no stone unturned in making the city vibrant with their color, speed and efficacy.
Based in Government quarters, Unit 1 our daily commute to school involved a thirty-minute ride in these human pedaled vehicles. The Rickshaws had three wheels, a big one at the front pedaled by a Rickshaw driver, and two smaller wheels to support it from the back such that its stability remains intact.
Logically these carts were designed in such a way, that two adults or three kids could comfortably sit on it. But the quest to earn more, kept giving these Rickshaw pullers innovative ways to explore and expand its seating capacity.
Especially Rickshaws plying school children would have one additional seat called Baby seat in the front, just opposite to the passenger seat. No…………it had nothing to do with a baby in the real sense. It was just an addition of a wooden plank on the front, which helped increase the seating capacity of these Pedicabs from three to six………. sad but true.
In my case, it would be three kids each on passenger seat and baby seat. Occupying the main seat was a luxury which was on every kid wish list. The ones who were in higher grades would use their seniority and grab the main seat, while we the younger lot would reluctantly fit into the baby seat.
The elevated passenger seat would be dazzling in color, while the baby seat being a dry wood piece wrapped in a thin layer of plastic had nothing much to offer. Certain Pictures hung in the front, was enough to give the passengers a sneak peek into the mind of the Rickshaw puller.
For some it would be their deities, while for the rest it would be postcards of their favorite Bollywood stars. Though from far they all would look the same, but in reality each Rickshaw would be unique in its color, brightness, shine, shape and structure. We would be so badly pitied against one another that, having our back packs with us in this half an hour run would be a distant dream.
The moment we would board our Rickshaw, the Rickshaw driver would take our bags and hang them on a hoop at the back, designed specifically for this purpose. Two iron hoops would carry the burden of all six backpacks. Still we never complained…………………
We used to be our happiest selves boarding this tiny and shaky vehicle. There was something so nice about it. Five to six of us would sit next to each other in such a way that, we could hear each other breathe. “Uncle” as we used to fondly call our Rickshaw driver, would make us pass through the shortest of routes such that we reached school on time.
Every driver would have this unique rubber or metal bell attached to their Rickshaw handle in the front. Just a little wiggling of this metallic piece, was enough to send a chill down our spine and we would rush to embark on this beautiful journey.
Number of stops was directly proportional to the number of kids, the Rickshaw carried. We were six, so in our case there were six stoppages before we rode on the by lanes of Bhubaneshwar, every day for school. If anybody was late, then he or she ended up getting a thrashing from Uncle.
Uncle would shout at the top of his voice there by ensuring that rest of the crew took it as a warning. Once all boarded this pedaled vehicle, then Uncle would shout “Chall……. Chall………”and with full spirit make us zoom through the narrow lanes of Unit one Market. Those days Unit one market place would always be crowded with people but the petite size of these vehicles helped us escape any chaos with ease. Unlike motorized vehicle they would emit no air or noise, hence we hardly bothered.
Amidst this swarm of people, there would be a group of itinerant Salesmen like the Hawkers and Peddlers, who not only would call this place their home but make the same vibrant with their loud cries and chants. Once we had crossed those lanes, and reached Rajmahal square, we would get a grasp of fresh air muffled with bright sunrays. In the meantime, to escape the scorching heat Uncle would have taken out the plastic collapsible “Hood” which was supposed to shield us from all-weather extremities. Not only it invoked a feeling of safety but gave us the courage to fight” tyrant weather.
With Bapujinagar and Ashoknagar proudly sitting to its either sides, Rajmahal chhakk was the most happening destinations of Bhubaneswar. As Kids we would enjoy passing through this busy place in the so called “pedicab” of ours. The connecting road from Rajmahal to Kalpana square was a steep one and hence to ease Uncle from the grueling pedaling regime, some of our Rickshaw’s mischievous yet concerned kids would get down and push from behind.
Once the strenuous path ended, they would again jump to grab their place in the Rickshaw. By the time we would be in Kalpana square, our Rickshaw’s speed would have tripled. In no time we would have driven past the bumpy roads to arrive at our school which proudly sat in BJB Nagar, the educational suburb of Bhubaneswar.
Uncle like a guardian would handover our bags to us and then we would march ahead to start a fresh day at school. At the time of pick up too, our Rickshaw would be parked adjacent to our school building and it would hardly take us a minute to spot the same. During those times Rickshaw’s popularity was high in my home state Odisha.
With time these Rickshaws vanished there by making way for Autos and cabs. But No matter what, I loved those innocent Rickshaw rides to the core. Be it smooth or bumpy, controlled or shaky, the journey has been exotic and full of fun.
Immersed in these thoughts I was about to take right from State street when my son shouted “Mom, where are you going? Don’t we have to drop Shree and Sai first?”
Published in Urmi 2019
