AT LUDHIANA, MY BAJAJ SUPER-PJI-3420
Ravi Speaks:
ARTICLE UPDATED ON 16.02.2023.
I purchased my Bajaj Super in September 1982.
The topic today may seem very light, but it has a real sentimental attachment to my journey, which started in March 1982 at Ludhiana. The day I landed in Ludhiana and started working in the field, I had this desire to go in for the two-wheelers immediately. Working on foot was very difficult since the doctors were in different places, and in a day, I used to spend quite a lot of money only on hiring man-driven rickshaws. That was the only way I could reach all my doctors, whom I was supposed to meet every day. On the days when I was working in the interiors or even in the hospitals of Ludhiana, it wasn’t that big a problem, but it was a real tough job, especially in the scorching heat of the summers in the city.
All my other colleagues in the profession had two-wheelers, and some even had motorcycles. Those days, “YEZDI” and “RAJDOOT” motorcycles were very famous and popular, whereas in scooters, the Bajaj Chetek and Bajaj Super were mainly there with my other colleagues. Many times I used to take the lift from my other company colleagues, and even for the interiors, I used to plan to go to some particular interior along with my colleague on his motorcycle. I am reminded of one very dreaded scene that happened in June when I went with my friend Mr. Malhotra of “Cadila” on his motorcycle to “Rajewal,” a very deep interior that was around 70 km from Ludhiana, and otherwise I had to change two buses to reach that place. On our way back, Mr. Malhotra was driving, and I was sitting behind him with my working bag in my hand. Mr. Malhotra’s working bag was fixed on the right side of the motorcycle. The motorcycle tire burst on the National Highway around 2.30 PM in the afternoon in scorching heat, and the road was covered in melted coal tar floating in liquid form on the road surface. With the blast-like noise, I fell on the side of the road with a big bang and had no idea where Mr. Malhotra had fallen. After some time, when I realized that I was in my senses, I found myself on the jute-knitted bed (wooden-charpai) with a few people around me asking me how I was. I found my shirt torn, and there was a bit of bleeding on the knee and also on my right hand. I was fine for the rest of the day. When I asked about Mr. Malhotra, they said they had taken him to a nearby private doctor’s clinic for bandaging and immediate treatment, since he had more external injuries. Those guys took excellent care of me, and after drinking water it was around 6 p.m., I boarded a local bus and returned to Ludhiana. I had already met Mr. Malhotra, and he too was fine, but his motorcycle was badly damaged. He told me to go and that he would bring the moped with him, and it would take some time. That day I realized that with all the advantages of the vehicle, this big disadvantage could even be fatal, but then it was all up to the circumstances and the condition of the vehicle, which matters a lot.
Even after this almost-narrow mishap on the National Highway, I was eagerly awaiting when I would go in for the scooter and not at all for the motorcycle. Look at the irony. Despite having no money in my pocket, I had thought of purchasing my scooter right from the day I started work. I remembered that on the first day when my RM Mr. Chhabra took me to the Union Bank of India in Kesarganj-Mandi, Ludhiana, to open my savings account. He asked me whether I had Rs. twenty since, with just twenty bucks saved, a bank account could have been opened. With such a financial situation, I still had a great desire to go in for the two-wheelers. The reason for this was simply that the level of comfort and efficiency at work was increasing.
Slowly and steadily, I started saving some amount for the same, and in those days, there was a premium to be paid besides the actual cost of the scooter from Bajaj. I still remember having to pay Rs. 1800 more than the actual cost of the scooter. Since Bajaj Super wasn’t accessible in Ludhiana, I was finally able to get it in September. So, I had to go all the way to Chandigarh and get it. I was not that confident about driving the scooter then. So, I requested my other colleague in Ludhiana, Mr. Sawhney, come to Chandigarh with me and help me get the scooter to Ludhiana. Mr. Sawhney was a very nice guy and helped too. He decided to go with me on the weekend date and came down to Chandigarh. I had my uncle there, with whom I went to purchase the scooter, and Mr. Sawhney came to my uncle’s place, and from there we started for Ludhiana. The distance was around 94 kilometers, and he drove all the way to Ludhiana and dropped me and my scooter at my residence. Finally, I got the one that I had been desiring to have for quite some time. The scooter craze was very popular at the time, and cars were only owned by a few people.
I started learning to drive and even started working in the city while doing so. Slowly and steadily, I became very confident in driving and started taking the scooter inside for interior coverage as well. This vehicle made my work very easy, and I could see that my efficiency levels had also drastically improved.
My dependence on it became so great that a stage came when I could not feel comfortable working in the interiors without it, where I used to go on foot earlier. Thus, this scooter (PJI-3420) went with me to almost all the interiors and city areas of Ludhiana during my stay there. The best part is that I took the scooter to my hometown of Jammu for a few days. It proved to be very useful during my wedding functions there.
Finally, in 1990, I brought the same vehicle to Delhi when I got transferred there. Here in Delhi, the driving was altogether a different proposition, and every day I used to drive around 40–50 km, and this vehicle gave me great help here as well. Finally, with time, things started changing, and the vehicle too became around eight years old and started posing technical problems. I had to go in for the new one, “LML-Piaggio,” and sold it in 1993 for a very paltry sum.
I was emotionally attached to this vehicle and was very comfortable with it even while driving the longer routes as well. I also recall having two major accidents with this vehicle. But on both occasions, I was saved narrowly. One was at Ludhiana’s “Jagraon Bridge,” where I was hit from behind by a car and escaped with minor injuries. The second one was at the Delhi-Punjabi Bagh flyover-where I had a lot of external injuries, and I remember being put in one rickshaw and the scrambled scooter in another and being taken directly to a doctor in the evening at around 8.30 PM. I was badly bandaged, and some honorable gentlemen dropped me at my place in “Pushpanjali-Enclave,” which was around 2 km from the accident spot. The next day I had to travel out of Delhi, and I went on long-distance travel since I had no major injuries.
The scooter was collected after four or five days from the mechanic, who had made it ready for the ride. You’re probably wondering why I brought up this lighter topic in the middle of my discussions on current events. I decided to go a little lighter, and I also realized that this small vehicle had a very good inning with me while I was learning the tricks of the trade. It was my ideal companion on the path of sales and marketing training. It would remain as a sweet memory with me as and when my thoughts go to “PJI-3420.” Even now, as a senior citizen, I possess a special sentimental bond with my two-wheeler since it flashes back memories of my adventurous youth.