Potlucks, Pedals and Parker (Chapter 1 of 3)

6th November 2022 was a wonderful day for me, not just because it was a Sunday, but because I had just come home after successfully placing an order for my electric cycle. A Hero Lectro C4.

After about a year of contemplating, I had finally done it. Now, I was not completely dependent on one of my colleagues to pick me up and drop me to and from office.

I had fun the next week showing it off to my colleagues and them taking turns to ride it. Strangers turning heads and examining it in the parking lot. It was and still is one of the best purchases that I have ever made. 

Fast-forward a month later, a potluck event was to be organized for our office team. Me and one of my colleague was given the responsibility to manage it. She and I talked to almost everyone about what they were going to bring to make sure there was a variety of items.

Once everything was finalized, we sent an official invite to our team members on 7th December 2022.

I myself decided to bring honey chilly potatoes. The event was to happen on 13th December 2022 (a Tuesday) so, I had enough time over the weekend to practice the dish with my mom.

On 10th December, I got on my bicycle and went to the nearby Dorabjee's store to buy the Chilly sauces required to make my dish.

At the billing counter, I glanced through the gates and as I saw my building, a strange thought crossed my mind. It had been more than a month since I got my cycle, and I was only using it to cover distances well within 1 kilometer.

“This is not why I spent so much money on a cycle.” I wondered.

The whole point of this was to be able to cover longer distances. I would not play Dangerous Dave or Prince of Persia primarily if I had access to a high-end gaming PC — right?
As I paid the cashier and came out of the store carrying a bottle of red chilly sauce and soy sauce, I knew that the next day i.e., Sunday, I am going for a long journey no matter what.

Next morning, I was busy in scouring the internet (mainly the Pune Subreddit) for places to go. I didn't want to aimlessly wander and come back. 

I was open to all types of shops. A lot of FC Road references popped up and based on all the choices, I finalized 4 places. 

Book World: Unlike now, I was not reading a lot of books at that time. Still there is something strangely satisfying about looking at tall shelves full of books. Every book store has a vivid smell to it. It's not a bad one, but it is hard to describe. If you have visited a book store, you may know what I am talking about. I know it's a bit cringy, but I think when anyone visits a bookstore, the books call to the person towards themselves by inaudible whispers. The person thinks that he/she is just checking out the book by his/her own will, but it's the other way around.

Gadgets: Many Reddit users praised this shop for mainly gaming accessories. Not that I needed anything but the hope of coming across a good mechanical keyboard was promising.

Venus Traders and Stationary: As someone who was (and still is) into DIY stuff, I like such shops as they are often one stop solutions for getting all the required items for a project.
I was not planning to buy, but rather enjoy browsing through cardboard sheets, spray-paint canisters, variety of notebooks and diaries to write in and pens and pencils to write with.

Kokpa Chinese: The colleague whom I was sharing the responsibility of managing the potluck told me once that this is her favorite shop to eat Chinese. I was planning to put it to test taste.

 

With the itinerary for the afternoon decided, it was time to go.

I purposely ate light lunch and around 1:30 PM, I was down in the parking lot.

 

With a small bag consisting of a water bottle on my shoulder, with Google Maps leading the way, I started the longest journey I ever made on a bicycle.

 

-To Be Continued.....