For me and you - Part 9

I woke up today morning to a very bright and a sunny day. The time now is 8 o clock in the morning and I am just about ready to get going for the day and reach our target for tonight which is Delhi. We have planned to get both the bikes serviced in Delhi tomorrow by one of Mani's friends there before heading off to the foothills of the Himalayas. Mani has never been this far up north before and wants to drop into the Taj Mahal at Agra before heading any further. He is already standing outside our hotel in Jhansi and cleaning his bike and double checking on everything to make sure that the bike will not fail him today. I give my usual cheery wave and do some basic checks on my bike before getting on the bike and visualizing my ride for today. This is something that I have come to do lately. It is an out of the body experience where I feel as tough I can see myself riding from a vantage point. The places where I am going to go to and the the routes that I am going to take. I feel as though this sets me up for the day and I give the bike and the route the due respect that they both deserve. After a silent prayer and a deep breath, I start my bullet and let it idle and wait for Mani to start his too.

We have now stopped just after the historic town of Gwalior. The royal seat of the Scindia family. I can feel a wave of romance go over me as I instantly fall in love with the city and its charm. I can feel a sense of joy coming into me and i want to sing a sing out aloud. Mani seems to be equally fascinated and both of us share a whole lot of banter while having our mandatory cup of tea. We are sitting in the tea shop and in opposite bench seem to be sitting a newly married couple. I can remember the time when me and anjali had just gotten married. That whole period was bliss and my sense of fulfillment was immense. I can see the same in the grooms eye and I wish them happiness silently from the bottom of my heart. Mani also seems to have noticed them and is more bold as to walk up to them and wish them a happy married life. And we also find out that the grooms name is rahul and his lady love is called zarina. Another example for happiness along with national integration. We set off from the shop and I cant help but sing 'suhana safar aur yeh mausam haseen..' a masterpiece of mukesh from madhumathi.

We have now stopped outside the Taj Mahal. Its 6 in the evening and the Taj is about to close to visitors. I pass the entrance and I am as ever, stunned by the sheer beauty of the monument. It is a masterpiece and a perfect ode to love by a man very much in Love. We have had a lovely day so far and this is definitely the cherry on top of the icing. I feel all the love of my youth coming back to me and I even sit down on one of the benches facing the taj and write Anjali a hand written letter. This is something that I have not done in a long time but I remember the time when I wrote long letters to her. I can feel all that emotion ebbing out now as I write a letter with the Taj for inspiration.

We have reached the outskirts of Delhi. Its late at night but we have managed to ride without any problems with either traffic or our bikes. And its been a day where love has shown itself out in many ways. I lie down very contended on my bed and fall into a wonderful sleep.

Its another beautiful day and we have ridden into Delhi and are in Karol Bagh now where Mani's friend has his workshop. Both of them get to work on the bikes and Mani tells me to go around for a while and come back by about 4 in the evening. I call my old friend Ashok who immediately drops his work and comes out to met me in the bar of le meridian. We catch up on old times and he cant believe that I am actually on a trip like this. He insists that I stop back in Delhi on my way back and even consider loading my bike onto a truck and just flying out from here to Chennai. I tell him I ll consider that. We have a simple meal there and I feel nice to have met an old friend after a while and in the midst of this great trip of mine. Ashok drops me off at the garage where mani and his friend are still working on Mani's bike. My bike is ready and they are putting the final touches on mani's bike. Our plan is to ride all the way to chandigarh tonight and from there go to Manali tomorrow. Mani gets done with his bike and gets up with a twinkle in his eye. Working on machines has most certainly made his day and Both of us ride back to the hotel, Load up and set out to reach Chandigarh before midnight.

Tomorrow lies the start of the mountainous region and we will be one step closer to achieving the most satisfying goal of our lives. And I ride on towards this,with the music of U2 in my ears; 'It's a beautiful day,Sky falls, you feel like,It's a beautiful day,Don't let it get away. You're on the road,But you've got no destination
You're in the mud,In the maze of her imagination. You love this town, Even if that doesn't ring true,You've been all over, And it's been all over you.'

To be continued..