Cycling - Morning Walk Vignettes.

Last week during my morning walk, an elderly gentleman on a cycle overtook me, I happen to have a look at the monogram on the rear mudguard of his cycle.

Logo on the rear mudguard of cycle.

I wanted to stop him and confirm my suspicion about the logo. However, with age processing speeds of my hard discs have become quite slow. By the time my brain processed the significance of visual input of the logo, the gentleman had gone beyond hailing distance. 

I kept him within my visual range.

Luckily he stopped to collect milk from one of the milk booths on my morning walk route. I was happy to be able to catch up with him. I was very happy that my suspicion about the logo had proved correct. I had thought the logo was that of Hercules Cycle and indeed it was a Hercules Cycle albeit a ladies Hercules cycle.  It was almost 50 years since I had laid eyes on Hercules brand of the cycle.

Took his permission and shot a few photos of his cycle. The owner is also seen in the top photo.

Hercules Ladies Cycle

Hercules Cycle

The sight of this cycle took me down memory lane by almost seventy years when as an eight-year-old I had learned cycling on our Hercules Cycle. In fact, Hercules was imported from England and it was the ONLY brand of cycle available in India.

My height was less. I could not reach the pedals sitting on the seat. I did what every smaller kid did those days. I learned to ride the cycle कैंची मारून (Scissor-style). As grew older and my height increased started cycling properly, seating on the seat! 

I think today's generation may not have any idea about कैंची मारून (Scissor-style) cycling, for them, this is what it looked like.

कैंची मारून (Scissor-style) cycling. 

This is not me :-)

Image courtesy internet.

My tryst with the cycle continued even as a Pilot Officer of the Indian Air Force at Poona, changed to Pune in 1978 when we pilot Officers had to cycle from No 2 Officers Mess to the Squadron for work. 

Along the way around the fifties, Atlas, a made in India cycle was introduced. Later in the late fifties, Hero cycles entered Indian Market. Gradually Hercules Cycles were seen less and less. Eventually, Hercules Cycles totally vanished not to be seen in the Indian market. 

It was almost after half a century that I had laid eyes upon a Hercules cycle and was happy for it.