Throughout its service that lasted for well over two decades, the scooter had worked hard enough for its owner, Mr. Dutta, who later passed it over to his son. The son, however, was not too satisfied by its performance and decided to purchase a Hero Honda Karizma instead. Initially intending to sell the old Chetak off, he later decided against it as his father persisted him to keep the worn-down vehicle with themselves for old times’ sake.
Parked between the Karizma and the latest Honda Civic, the scooter had nothing to do, except for a night-long chat with these neighbours.The Civic carried a huge burden of guilt for replacing a Maruti 800. The old Bajaj Chetak could sense that, although the dashing car never spoke his mind. It worked hard to get up in the morning, not after 8, and travelled 30 minutes to the basement parking of the MNC. And usually came back late. Karizma, on the other hand, was more often involved into a part-time job. Dutta Junior used him intermittently and hardly took him out unless he had a girl for company, or for spending an evening at a nightclub
‘Marketing is a key to sell. I have known this all my life. But never did I imagine that it would end up being the only thing instrumental in selling’, Chetak would advise its fellow neighbours. Karizma and Civic would listen with dignified silence. Of course, the Business minds and Top-level associates selling trash had evolved into geniuses who very well knew the pulse of the middle class. Cars and bikes were the latest victims.
‘Does anyone bother for a product that sells cheap, no matter how high quality it might be’?
'Can these Humans ever be satified with anything? Above and beyond, they 're always on the lookout for something better. Wish they could learn to take it easy and relax. There are far more important things to life than Technological Advancements'
and the discussion went on..
That was an evening when all these vehicles, entirely different from one another in design and usability, had found solace in one another. It was the eternal feelings of love and friendship that they discovered all over again. A deep bond had established itself among them.
‘Friends forever’! they said in unison, and decided that they would try their best to remain together for as long as they could.
The June 4 morning, following the same night, was a breezy one. Dutta Junior was one of the millions belonging to a consumerism-smitten society. Stepping out of the gate, with the latest 3G-enabled Nokia phone in his hand, he walked towards his bike.
‘Here he comes again. I guess my backseat will accommodate Natasha today; his latest girlfriend’ whispered Karizma. They all giggled.
Kick-starting the bike, Dutta Junior sped off. ‘See you later in the evening’, Karizma could hear Civic’s words in the distance as he disappeared out of sight.
But Dutta Junior didn’t direct him towards his college. Or to the mall. Or to his favourite disc.
It was the Hero Honda showroom that caught Karizma’s attention. ‘Good old memories. The same place where I was born’ he smiled. ‘But why am I here today?’ ‘I don’t think my engine or any of the other parts suffer’
He got his answer soon afterwards.
‘Here’s the Karizma I told you about’, he heard Dutta Junior say. ‘Take it away. Can I take a look at my new Karizma ZMR now?
