Raghuraman Column | Bengaluru Parents Advice On Teen Two-Wheeler Demand

N. Raghuraman, Management Guru

On Friday, when I was walking through the 7-km stretch in Bengaluru that houses hundreds of multinational companies like Biocon Park, Micro Labs Ltd, Apotex Research, HCL Technologies’ SEZ campus, Carl Zeiss India, Sansera Engineering and Toyota Industries Engine India, I got a call from my cousin.

He said, brother, Arvind (his son, who has just turned 17) is asking for a two-wheeler to go to college. I asked him, what do you find so worrying about this that you want to take my opinion on it?

He said that he is still not able to bring the basket of clothes from the upper floor to the lower level without it falling, but is asking for a two-wheeler. Perhaps his friends have two-wheelers, so there is peer-pressure on him. I said I would call you later and disconnected.

That mere 20 minute drive took me an hour. The two-wheelers ahead of me were constantly getting hit despite all my efforts to avoid the damaged parts of the road and the potholes.

Seeing the large number of two-wheeler drivers battling the potholes and rough road on this Bommasandra-Jigani link road, lessons started emerging in my mind which I could share with Arvind’s parents. Some of these lessons were given to me by my father, some I learned while driving myself and some from fellow bikers:

Give up the attachment to your identity: As soon as they hit the road, bikers feel that they should adopt a certain personality, dress, style, way of thinking, speaking and behaving. But when I sat on the bike I bought for the first time, my father advised me and said, as a biker you do not need such things. He said in a casual manner, give up this idea of ​​how you should be. Only then will you be able to make room for the person you can become or who you already are.

Keep your grip a little loose: His second lesson was, if you remain tight then life will also be full of tension. Keep your shoulders loose while turning on the ignition switch. This will keep your grip on the handle comfortable and you will be able to move forward easily.

There will be potholes and bad parts on the road, so sometimes you may have to change direction suddenly. The tighter you hold the handle, the more difficult it will be. Later I realized that this instruction was not limited to driving a two-wheeler only, but it also applied to many aspects of life.

Attention every biker: I didn’t know about the biker-wave before I started biking. This is the sign in which two bikers greet each other by raising two fingers. But when I understood its meaning, I fell in love with it. Actually, it is not just a greeting, but also a universal message to stay safe. This small gesture reminds us of safe driving again and again.

Don’t compete on the road: Some people want to speed up, put the bike in fifth gear and reach there before the next traffic signal turns red. But I’ve learned that not every biker’s destination is the same.

Do exercises even while driving: I have been told by many experienced drivers that they do breathing exercises while waiting for the green light at the traffic signal. They adjust it according to the seconds left on the signal. But compared to car riders, bikers are often in such a hurry that they forget such basic things.

Remember, it’s good for our bodies and keeps the mind calm – whether you’re on a bike or not. Besides, it also develops the ability to see the surrounding environment better, which is very important for safe driving.

The bottom line is that If your child asks for a two-wheeler, then definitely consider his point, but along with teaching him to wear a helmet and follow traffic rules, also teach him these principles.

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