Royal Enfield motorcycles exist in the greatest number in India and they naturally inspire terrific devotion there. For those of us in, say, the United States, where the Enfield is admired but rarely seen, blog postings by Indian riders are truly a glimpse into a world turned upside down.Visitors to the factory web site chose the page created by Bhaskar Das as the best of the month for October. It is very good. He weaves his words around remarkable photos that illustrate the impact the Royal Enfield has on its riders. He writes:
"People sometimes find it difficult to understand why we do, what we do. To them we ask... have you experienced the high when throngs of people rush to wave at you, from the remotest of villages, as you roar by? Have you had policemen flag you down, only to click photographs with you? Have you been chased by elephants, sputtered through freezing glacial rivers and hugged your broken down bike, in the back of a truck? Have you ever whispered sweet nothings, verbally encouraging your bike along an insurmountable slope? Only then do you understand what Bulleteering is all about!"
I don't expect I ever will be chased by an elephant, here in Florida. My appreciation for my Bullet will have to be based more on what it has proven it can do than on what I ask it to do. I suppose I am like the owner of the Jeep or Land Rover who never challenges terrain tougher than a freeway ramp. The Royal Enfield excites the adventuring part of my brain even when I am not on an adventure.
Bhaskar Das, keep on riding and writing. We're right behind you, all over the world.
DEATH OF THE CAST IRON BULLET !
ReplyDeletehttp://hotaircoldlove.blogspot.com/2008/10/death-of-cast-iron.html
I HATE THIS COMPANY's MANAGEMENT.
Best Wishes,
Ujjwal Dey
http://www.ujjwaldey.com/
Hello David… i did read your blog and find it very useful and found some Madras bulls buddies on the following list. Hardcore classical biking geek is what i could infer! :)
ReplyDeleteYou are right when you say SD was a phenomenon but then the awards should be given for talent excellence is it not?
maybe categories like ‘Best Child actor’ , ‘best narration style’ would have made more sense.
In that aspect itself, it is very hard to believe that the movie got so many awards.
Except for the music (which should and is judged by the impact it creates on the listeners, and in this case i believe it did!) all the other categories were far from the excellence that you would expect from an oscar movie.
The concept was indeed great, but then look at the concepts that we are also looking at ‘Benjamin Button!’ Did it not deserve that?!
But i do understand, that at the end of the day art is about perception and in that sense it did win the oscars from the jury ;)