Posted by Mansi

2011, I've decided, will be the year I learn how to ride a motorcycle. This resolution came late but loud, asserting itself while I was riding down a winding coastal road in the Andamans with a friend, the wind ribboning around me, sunlight warming my face.

I'm a big fan of bikes, and really, should have learned how to ride one years ago. But there are some great hurtles in the way, a couple of which are unique to me. Here's the big one: I don't know how to ride a bicycle. Go on, gasp, laugh, shake your head in pity at what you consider my deprived childhood. I've seen all these reactions before, and none of them have ever compelled me to learn.

Well, I better learn now.

Another obstacle is my low threshold for pain, which I am sure I will cross during my first fall. Plus, the prospect of skinned knees and bruised arms is enough to turn me off the most promising tasks. My regrettably small frame and a family who thinks that I have a death wish are also issues that must be addressed before I hop on.

But hop on I will, propelled by the undiluted freedom, the exhilarating speed, the sheer velocity that you experience only on a motorcycle. I may have to start by balancing a bicycle on a wilted patch of grass at Oval Maidan, but I'll find my way on to the open road sooner or later.

Wish me luck!