BHPian BlackStrat recently shared this with other enthusiasts: It’s that time of the year, at least in this part of the world, when we don’t have to worry about all the things that can go wrong while on a ride. For once, one has to think about reasons for not stepping out for a ride, barring traffic in your city and work-related commitments, there is no other reason to not step out and check out this amazing country. If Mr Gadkari is to be believed, the road quality may be a reason, but why do we have ADVs for, eh? On a gloomy Tuesday afternoon when the rain gods were not so considerate of an average Mumbaikar’s travails to reach their home after office, I sat with a cup of tea (obviously) with my partner reading the daily newspaper and soaking in the weather and its effect on the crumbling infrastructure of the financial capital. Out of nowhere came a question which not only shocked me but also forced me to think. My partner of close to a decade asked me “Why do you ride?”. To a lot of our community, this might seem to be a simple question with a very black-and-white answer. But I ask all of you to think deeply and give it a while. Have you ever wondered how and when you realized your love for riding? I’ll let you guys reminisce about your love affair with your machines while I pen down mine. While I answered in a very simple way at the moment, I requested some time from my partner to really pen these thoughts down and explain them to her later because a simple “I love to ride” was not the answer she was looking for.So, why do we ride?I would go as far as saying that it is in our DNA. Not riding, but roaming around. Humankind has survived mass destruction events by being agile and adaptive. We have gone through ice ages, floods, water scarcity, heat waves and other natural calamities and always somehow survived. Darwin was right that way, the fittest survive and the fittest always explore. Exploration is not just in our DNA but it is the reason we have made progress over the millenniums. The earth was a hotbed of explorers since times immemorial and these are the kind of humans who have survived through their books and scriptures. This behavior is primal. It’s basic, it’s almost a necessity. Think about it, it’s almost as necessary as breathing for a lot of us. Solitude is another reason for a lot of us. While humans may be social, a lot of us yearn for solitude away from the pressures of society. There is nothing wrong about being part of a society but most of the personality enhancements within humans have always happened when someone is alone with his/her thoughts. Literature, music, philosophy etc anything that has been created has always been achieved by solitude. Tell me none of you have experienced something profound while on one of your rides within the city or on those long highway roads. While the above are extremely philosophical and a lot many of us may not think so critically about the reason we ride, one thing is for sure to tug along those heartstrings, the love for our machine. Pick anyone you know who loves riding including yourself and you will always hear them addressing their machine lovingly and in a lot many cases they have a name for that family member. Yes, the machine is also a family member at the end of the day and what do we do with a family member we so admire and love? We love spending time with them. At the end of the day, it’s not just a machine, is it? It’s a part of you and we would do anything to spend time with it. While this comparison may sound a bit far-fetched but having a car/bike is like having a kid or a pet. You care for them unconditionally and always look forward to your time together. While there may be a plethora of reasons for a lot of us, these were some of them I can relate to. The eagerness of exploration, the calmness of solitude and the bond of family. On a concluding note, while the monsoon is taking its sweet time to leave us to visit again next year, it’s time to “Saddle Up” for all the riders in the house. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
