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What is being conveyed by the author through his story ‘The Bicycle’?
The Bicycle by Dash Benhur is a simple story with a profound, philosophical message. It’s a nostalgic account of Sudhir Babu, who is an old-fashioned English teacher with an enduring passion for poetry. He has a bicycle, nicknamed Veersen that has served him well for decades. Both Sudhir Babu and his trusted bicycle have gone through the ups and downs of life. Sudhir Babu has developed an emotional attachment with Veersen, and has never thought of abandoning it for a new one. In some way, it explains why and how develop an attachment with the things they use in their daily lives. It’s a old value that is fast disappearing in present times when ‘use-and-throw’ culture has been fuelled by cunning manufacturers who don’t produce goods of very high quality, so that the consumer finds a reason to discard it for a new one. Such trend is typical to today’s consumerist, and materialistic ethos. No one seems to bother how such tendency to buy new items harms the environment by accelerated exploitation of earth’s limited resources.
Times have rolled by. Sudhir Babu’s grandson, Tana, grows up. He owns a flashy, red, and trendy bicycle. Against this modern-day product, Veersen becomes a poor comparison. No wonder, Tana chides both Sudhir Babu and his trusted bicycle for being so out of fashion. His fascination for poetry, obviously, fails to impress the young child. Sudhir Babu endures the derision nonchalantly. After all, the age belongs to Tana, not to him. The generation gap manifests itself glaringly. In the eyes of the youngster, both Sudhir Babu and Veersen are relics of the past.
Sudhir Babu gives a thorough make-over to the derelict cycle. It comes back to life, ready to serve its master again with renewed zeal. On one occasion, Sudir Babu and his friends are caught in darkness while returning from a picnic. Veersen’s dynamo lights up and dispels the darkness. Sudhir Babu beams in appreciation. It’s impossible to find a new-age young man or woman, earning a high income, sticking to their old gadgets for more than three or four years. Old values are crumbling inexorably, no doubt.

Sudhir Babu’s wife ages and is beset with the infirmities of dotage. She becomes irritable and jittery. Sudhir Babu feels hurt and bewildered. He soothes his mind by reminiscing about their happier days of the past. One can draw valuable philosophical lessons from the plight of Sudhir Babu and his wife. Being stoic and gracefully accepting the vagaries of old age are golden lessons this simple story teaches so aptly.
Finally, the curtains come down. Sudhir Babu meets with an accident and is sternly told by his family members not to ride his favorite cycle again. Veersen has to fall in line. The separation from the owner is painfully inevitable. Sudhir Babu is resigned to his life confined to his home; Veersen has to rust away to its death. Life on earth looks so difficult.
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