Once a Friend - Always a Friend

In the words of Dad (Robin Nakai)  

There is an old Turkish Proverb - Once a Friend - Always a Friend !

Talli (Manjit Singh Sehmbey of Goraya) is one such person in my life !

We began our friendship in the Bishop Cotton School , though we were in different houses - Talli in Curzon and I in Rivaz !

We journeyed through History and Biology classes - Hockey and Football Teams in different battles - fighting one another and together in school teams, battling Sanawar, Marathons from Sanjauli via Bede's to Bishop Cotton - many more adventures !

Talli also had the distinction of being my School Captain, and backed my raids on the School Tuck Shop, carrying the largest tray of burfees - being the School Captain and a 100 Meter Sprinter !!!

We were to do a stint in the Government College Chandigarh, but then business and matrimonial alliances being order of the day, took him back to Goraya !

We were to later connect in Los Angeles, where we drove Shuttles from LA Airport and had many an adventure - on the I - 15 from Rancho Cucamonga - Hemet - Perris - Corona - West Covina - And the beaches of L.A - dining at little Mama Papa Italian joints or Indian eateries, that Talli would discover !

I came back to India and Talli stayed on in L.A!

The first ever Triumph Motor Cycle I ever sat on was Tallis - Twin, Light Blue Chrome - in 1969 and today in 2015 - after 46 years - we are on a Triumph T-100 Bonnevile, Light Blue and chrome - once again !

Once a Friend,

Always a Friend,

105 memories & more

In 1947 after partition my great-grandparents were allotted this land in lieu of everything they left back in Lahore and they built this house(105) in 1955 where our family has lived since. Of the many memories that reside here there are those of me riding on the tank of my fathers Bullet and falling in love with motorcycles as a kid. When it was time for me to get a bike this is where I got my first Enfield so I guess in a way a part of Helmet Stories was born here as well. What I am trying to really get at is today we have less than a week left with our old friend and I hope the new owners get as much love/hope/happiness out of it as we did.
Farewell old friend you will be missed but never forgotten.

Rider Mania ride, day 3, morning

Thick fog delayed the planned early start. In a strange synchronous kind of way, the hotel we pulled into on a deserted stretch of the NH 17 highway had a familiar face. KY Nachre was a waiter at Cafe City restaurant in Worli Naka, Mumbai where I used to go for kheema pao and over the years got to Nachre quite well. Nachre has moved back to his village and is working at Sidhant Hotel. What are the chances of bumping into him after so many years? This happens only when riding!
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