A MAM MADE OF STEEL

THE STORY IS ABOUT MY FATHER WHO IS A RETIRED ARMY OFFICER WHO KICK STARTED HIS PASSION OF MOTORCYCLING KNOWING THAT HIS BOTH KNEES ARE SUFFERING OF ACUTE OSTEOARTHRITIS...READ MORE

A Man Made Of Steel

Story Of A A Legendry Biker From Her Daughter �" Biker In Making

 

And with the army life that my father lived, there was a go - getter within him that drove me to his world of motorcycling. Football, boxing, marathon running, he did everything possible to be on the go at all times. With tight schedule and army decorum to be followed, a hidden desire within him kept growing … motorcycling!!  My father and a legendry biker; Lt Col. Sohan Roy (Retd.), retired from 15^th Battalion The Kumaon Regiment (INDORE) after almost 30 yrs of service. This student of Allahabad Boys High School graduated from Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai.

 

A bright student, a dedicated army officer and a wonderful father, with this, there is a soul within him that says ‘never say die’. A severe knee injury that turned into osteoarthritis didn’t push him still to go for a replacement but daddy had this within him to not give up and so went for arthroscopy only. In 1999 when he was admitted in an army hospital, before his knee replacement he was asked that how does he commute daily. ‘On bike sir!’ he said and the doctor was astonished and commended him for his determination and did arthroscopy for daddy. That moment was a turning point for daddy to added to his determination.

However as problem aggravated, he walked with the help of a walking stick and settled for a gearless scooter for almost 12 years. He had to forego riding his motorcycle! It was like taking away his life away from him. But for a man who reads ‘IMPOSSIBLE’ as ‘I-AM-POSSIBLE’, knee ailment didn’t come in way of his passion of biking. From a Kinetic Honda gear less scooter he graduated to ride a Hero Honda Splendour motorcycle by fixing ends of his walking stick on elastic loops fixed on the leg and saree guard.  And then finally he got his ‘Wizard’ (Royal Enfield Classic 500cc)

He now rides through rough & tough terrains with support of his wits, grits and will power only. Today at 66pus years of age he is living his passion of motorcycling to far off places in hills, the mountains of Ladakh, Sikkim and the Northeast India and making records and winning hearts of many.

 

He still suffers from Osteoarthritis but who would believe that he is the same man who is called ‘ANGEL ON THE ROAD’. His wizard is what he mounts on and with a kick start he throttles his bike to plains, mountains, ghats, off roads and water beds too.

 

  “You don’t stop biking as you age, you start ageing when you stop biking”--- he says

He has rode over 200000 kms and is still revving.

Now being a fauji’s daughter I watched my father overcome those hurdles in life that he faced with his knee that wasn’t smooth to walk with. Yet there was no looking back, no complaint and in fact it never seems that daddy suffered from arteritis. Riding maybe was in my blood too. But having seen daddy ride to places at this age, terrains that were rough, demanding and life threatening sometimes, it made me open my world’s horizon and today I too am a part of the riding community. There is a sense of maturity, patience and clear driving skills required to cross through the tough roads. Daddy has it in him and watching him ride, I slowly saw myself being inclined towards to world of riding. Where daddy rides a Royal Enfield, I ride a gearless scooter to uphill, ghats, rough roads keeping pace with the motorcycles. Determined to buy a motorcycle one day soon, I dream to ride with dad to those roads that have had the privilege to see wizard throttle the engine and role wheels on them. It was indeed a wow moment for us when daddy made his first Limca Book of Records in 2009 when he first rode a PULSAR 220 to Ladakh and Khardungla (World’s highest Motorable Road) and also paid Homage At Kargil War Memorial. He made a record of being the oldest man to reach to the world’s highest motorable road.

I still can’t forget my ride with him all the way from Jorhat to Shillong and Arunanchal Pradesh. Beautiful eastern meadow, not even once did I feel the jitters while crossing rough terrains. With time and years the feeling of being a rider started to grow within me and today I am part of few group that are to biking and I do have friends who live the same passion. A journey of motorcycles as a legend who has lived and still does has given me a new vision and perspective towards the world to live free, ride free and live safe

 

Dad’s historic rides -

• 2010 �" He paid homage at Rezang la War Memorial where late Major Shaitan Singh and 114 JOs and other ranks who fought the Chinese army to the ‘Last man Last round’. He also rode to the Batalik Sector and stayed there with the Aryan tribe in their village home. On way back from Rezang la War Memorial he rode solo from Rezangla to Delhi.

·         In 2012, on the The GOLDEN JUBILEE of the SINO - INDIA WAR of 1962, he rode all by himself to pay Homage to the Martyrs of Sino - India War 1962 in Rezangla, Chushul in Ladakh. Was honoured to lay a Ceremonial Wreath at Rezangla War Memorial. He carried a scroll with the accounts of the Battles in Ladakh and on every halt displayed and spoke to people about the battles of 1962.

 

Author's Note

THIS STORY IS VERY CLOSE TO MY HEART..... MY DAD MY HERO... A MAN WHO NEVER SAID NO... A GEM OF A PERSON AND A MENTOR TO MANY...HE IS A LEGEND ..HE IS MY DAD :)