Unlock ride & first ride of Himalayan to Geonkhali

The Corona Virus situation has wreaked havoc in all of our lives. Situation is tough for everyone. But those of us who always like to go out and travel, it is a bit more tough. So after almost 2.5 months of strict lockdown, as the restrictions on movement of people was lifted we had to ride. Not that the infection scenario has improved, on the contrary now almost 10000 people are getting affected daily. But continuous exposer to these news and precaution methods for the past 2.5 months has somehow changed our habits for the better and it has decreased our fear of the disease. Also it is safe to say that people, or should I say, we have become a bit desperate.

There was also a good news in this lockdown period. I finally bought my dream bike, Himalayan. So I was very much eager to ride it. Today morning in our regular ‘chai pe adda’, we decided to ride to Geonkhali, only a 40 minutes ride from my home. It is the confluence of Rupnarayan River and Hugli River. In the past we have gone there many times, on bike or cycle. It was a go to destination for a quick ride. Two routes are there to reach the place, one goes parallel to the Rupnarayan river another is the main road. We decided to go along the narrow path beside the river enjoying the afternoon light illuminating the river in a soft saturated light and after dark we would return through the main road.

As planned we three, me, Sambit and Ranu started from Tamluk at around 4:30 in the afternoon armed with musk and sanitizer. Along the way we took many photos. What I found was that Himalayan is a very photogenic bike. It looks wonderful in photos, it is beautiful in real life too. As we reached Geonkhali the weather become pleasant. Cool air blowing constantly refreshed us quickly. But there was no provision to sit and enjoy the riverside. Geonkhali has a water treatment plant. And it has many big ponds. So we headed for the ponds. Green grass has covered the bank of the ponds so well that it looked like natural lawn.

We were chatting and relaxing and may be after some time I looked back to look at my bike and I was awestruck by a spectacular sunset. We all were very excited. May be the nature was rewarding us for our ongoing struggle for survival. We then went to the riverside again and the colors became more vivid. Mobile cameras were struggling to capture the grandeur of the scene. We still tried our best to record the moment digitally. But as the very short show of color finished, it was time for us to head back home.