Christmas

This is the season of miracles, Christmas miracles. This is the story of a miracle when Christmas came early on that day, 29th april, 2025. Just a day before I had set out with a few Mumbai based fellow bike riders for Sikkim, which was the venue for this year's Kawasaki Versys annual get together. After a night halt in Bhopal we set out for Varanasi, the second night halt enroute Sikkim. Due to a difference in settings on the GPS, I was guided through the city of Bhopal early morning while others took the by pass. Riding past the lake, clicking pictures, no traffic, it seemed like the perfect day, till I hit the highway. The bike wobbled. Puncture. I inflated the tyre, reached a roadside puncture guy and got the puncture fixed. Or so I thought. Within a kilometer the tyre gave way again, fortunately close to another puncture repair shop. I was told that the puncture was too big and will have to be patched from inside. Got it done. I was about 120 kms from Jabalpur and that seemed to be the nearest big city that would keep the big sized tyres that my 1000 cc bike needed. The other bikers were way ahead and kept calling. I discouraged them to turn back as they could not have helped in this situation. I reached Jabalpur by 12.45 pm. Right outside the entry of Jabalpur the tyre burst with a loud whoosh! Dragging the bike to a side I put it on a stand and approached a hardware shop right there. The helpful owner sourced the number of most of the big tyre dealers in Jabalpur and I started dialling numbers. Within half an hour I had discovered that the tyre size required for my bike was not available there. Riders approaching Varanasi called up ahead to see if it can be sourced there. Nothing. Ditto in Indore. The only options now available were to put the bike in a truck and send it back to Mumbai and proceed to Gangtok by other means or go back to Mumbai with the bike terminating the trip right there. As usual, in impossible situations, I smile, look up and hand the problem to God. Did the same now. I had called up a major tyre deal of Jabalpur called Mr. Vinamra Bhatia. He didn't have the tyre but was asking around. He called up in a while and put me on to another gentleman called Romy Saluja, another tyre dealer. Same problem, no tyre. A third gentleman called Mr. Parvinder Singh alias Bobby joined the party, he was also a rider and suggested that he will talk to a second hand tyre dealer who may have a tyre in good condition. Another half an hour of suspense and I got on to a conference call with all three of them. I was told that the second hand tyre dealer's shop has been shut for last 12 days as his father has expired and he being a staunch hindu, was supposed to remain bare foot, sleep on the ground, head shaved and not get out of the house till the 13th day. Back to square one! Bobby promised to call him up and explain the situation once. Fifteen minutes later I got a call from an unknown number. Sunny Shrivastav, the second hand tyre dealer entered the picture, asked for specifications, pictures of the tyre and minimal money. I gave him whatever he needed on phone. In the sweltering heat, at 3.15pm, a car with 4 people came and stopped outside the hardware store. Out stepped a man, clad in white dhoti, barefoot, head shaven. Sunny Shrivastav. I was taken aback knowing he was breaking all norms just to assist me. Why? I asked. 'Papa would have wanted me to...' He said simply and proceeded to show me a tyre lying in the boot of his car. 'Good for another 5000kms. You have nothing to worry' I was dumbstruck. Sunny and his boys got the bike to a work shop 3 kms away, replaced the burst tyre, got the wheel balancing done, treated me to a local thandai and got the bike ready after a road test of the tyre by 5.15pm. I thanked him profusely for not letting my Sikkim trip die out. I reached Varanasi at 1am in the night, after being in the riding suit and on the saddle for an incredible 21 hours non stop! Except for Sunny all the three other benefactors were just voices on the phone. Still are. Yet their warmth, their collective efforts to solve my problem will forever be etched on my heart. Jabalpur, was just the name of a town for me, just like any other town that you have heard of in a geographical context. Today it feels like home. A big shout out to all the four gentlemen and everyone else in Jabalpur... You have my love and respect for ever. Will never forget that hot, sweltering day in April... When Christmas came early🌹🌹🌹