Varanasi Again – 38: Hyper and Shogun

And then there was Suresh, another wizard from Andhra/Telangana who held a number of patents in his name, and was as at ease in the world of academics, as he was in the world of business – the business of medicine (I intend to come to this topic later). He had been nicknamed ‘Hyper’ by his friends from Vaishali’s batch because of his excessive enthusiasm, and unending talks. He always had something to say about everything, and talked fast, and loud, and was unfailingly witty. Curly hair, and a caricature like face made him a complete entertainment package.

‘The name Hyper suits him,’ I thought, smiling inwardly while observing Hyper regaling his friends with his quick wit, and quicker repartees.

I looked around for more familiar faces – I was looking for one face in particular. Amit Agarwal.

Vaishali had told me he may not come, due to some problems at home, but the word was that he had changed his mind and would be arriving tomorrow at the formal function inside IMS, BHU.

Amit and myself had been close during a particular patch in our MBBS days. He had bright, sparkly eyes, a bubbly nature, and an inherent childishness which always appealed to me, drew me to him so to speak. Also, he owned the ‘Shogun’, and was always willing to lend it to me.

The ‘Shogun’ was a dream bike of the 1990s. Produced by Suzuki Motors, Japan, in collaboration with TVS Motors, India. The TVS Motors, part of the TVS group, is currently the third largest motorcycle manufacturer in India, and the second largest exporter of motorcycles from India. The collaboration between TVS Motors, and Suzuki, which brought out iconic models like Suzuki Shogun, and Suzuki Shaolin, started in 1987, and ended in 2001. However, let me not digress from the main issue here.

Amit lent me his Shogun whenever I went out on a date – no, this was before I met Vaishali – yes, I had a life before that too with several short ‘alliances’. And then came the tsunami, when I met Vaishali, and I lost all control, and any semblance of sanity that I had left…….

The thrill, the exhilaration I felt while driving the Shogun, the soft growl of its engine, its barely-under-control power, its stupendous acceleration, was something that still set my pulse racing. So many years down the line I could still see myself driving the beautiful black and red bike, my heart beating to the rhythm of its engine, a girl from our batch riding pillion……..that intoxicating feeling as her perfume wafted down to me……Ah! Raging hormones……

To be continued…..

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