‘Good morning Ma’am.’ I paused and looked towards the direction of the voice.
It was a Monday morning. I was up by 5:30am and geared up for my morning ride.
The first thing that I did was to visit my favorite place ‘Salt Lake Stadium.’
I passed by the alleys and captured the glimpses as we progressed.
The unexpected encounter
While I was taking a turn, I heard a voice. ‘Good morning Ma’am.’ I paused and looked towards the direction of the voice.
A gentleman riding on a Giant hybrid bike came forward and questioned, “Do you know where can I get a coconut to drink?”
I pointed him towards the stadium. He thanked and moved ahead. As I proceeded I saw him enjoying his drink along the corner of a street.
He found a vendor close by. We exchanged smiles and I proceeded with my journey.
While I was busy spotting wild flowers on my way, I heard a voice called out ‘Ma’am there are two things.’
I glanced and found the gentleman coming by.
He came by my side and said ‘First thing you need to wear a helmet.’ Coincidentally that day I was not carrying my helmet.
‘The second thing your seat height needs to be raised an inch above.’
He further explained to me that my legs should extend completely as I peddle down. My knees had a slight bend which can cause knee pain and would be undesirable.
He gave me a practical demonstration with his bike and indicated how he has adjusted his saddle height.
While he was explaining I thought to myself it’s rare to come across people who voluntarily comes up and provide snippets of knowledge and increase your awareness.
Now there was a problem as well.
The current saddle height of my bike just allows me tip toe while I am in a standing position. Raising the saddle height an inch above will definitely pose a challenge to maintain balance.
We started to ride together. While we were riding he asked ‘What do you do?’
I replied ‘I work as a consultant.’
Well that piqued his interest which marked the onset of our conversation. I asked him “What are you into?”
He replied ‘I am a retired colonel’. I have worked in the Indian Army and was in charge of the battalion training 1000 + army officers.’
After completing his successful tenure in army (he retired on the year 2010) he pursued MBA from IIM Bangalore which helped him to transition into the corporate world.
He took up the responsibility of nurturing talents through coaching, teaching management and HR disciplines across several premiere Indian academic institutions.
He further added ‘Barsha currently I am working towards incorporating the revised curriculum into the prevalent education structure where the major focus will be into analytics, artificial intelligence and other related fields.’ From his conversation I learned that his interests lies in defense analytics.
While we were still riding he asked ‘ Where do you stay?’ I replied ‘I stay near Jadavpur but currently staying with my parents in Salt Lake.’ I learned he has travelled all the way up from Tollygunge to Salt Lake(roughly 17–18 kms away) for his morning ride.
Before departing towards our own destination, I took the opportunity to capture the moment. He smiled and said ‘ I don’t use social medium platforms like WhatsApp or Facebook but we can surely be connected through e-mail.’ He shared his email id and I noted it down’.
Just when we were about to part our ways he said ‘ Let me know when you get back to Jadavpur, we can surely go for bike rides.’ I spent sometime exploring the places within the stadium.
As I pen down my thoughts I realize how my bike rides provides an unique experience every single day. Through my rides I not only get to connect with my surroundings but also with some amazing people and the stories they have to offer. It amazes me and inspires me to explore further — the hidden treasures.
Concluding note on Colonel
Colonel Prabir Sengupta served as an infantry leader in Indian Army for a period of 25 years.
He served as a commander for 1000 plus infantry battalion in one of the most challenging demographic areas(Jammu and Kashmir , North eastern sectors).
He had been awarded the prestigious Vishisht Seva Medal by president of India.
Friends I would love to hear your thoughts. Did you have any chanced encounter while travelling down the lane?
I am eager to listen to your stories.
