BULLET MOBIKE MECHANIC SHE IS

In Her Father's Footsteps, On Her Own Terms.

- A Sarala

To the astonishment of all, Rajni, who was appointed as an engineer in the research wing of the famous Royal Enfield Motors Ltd., Chennai, was a fresh recruit. There must be some cogent reason for this.

Rajni, who studied in Seshaja Engineering College, Hyderabad, affiliated to Osmania University, stood first in Mechanical Engineering.

The twenty-year-old Rajni was tall, lean, and beautiful. She checked every new Bullet bike and, just by the sound of the engine, recognised the faults, if any, and summoned the mechanics to set them right, giving them the right instructions.

Ramachandra had a daughter, Rajni. He put up a shed beside his own house and repaired only Bullet bikes. Most of the Bullet owners, instead of getting their bikes serviced or repaired by the company servicing station, fell back upon Ramachandra who, besides being efficient and fast, charged reasonably.

There were a few customers who called on them with their bikes and complained, "Ramachandra, my bike only started after kicking the starter several times in the morning." He used to smile and say, "Now you thought of God, as the bike gave you trouble." "No. Not at all. We only took your name! Moreover, if you absent yourself from the garage for two days, we won't get the bike repaired elsewhere, but wait for you to turn up at the garage. We used other modes of transport to get our work done." Such was the faith they repored in Ramachandra’s work. Ramachandra was complacent, and all the customers treated him not as a mechanic, but as a friend of theirs. Perchance, if anyone invited him for a marriage of their kith and kin, he would attend early and help them in whatever way they asked. They often called him, “Ramachandra, what should we do?” discussing a problem they encountered. He assured them it would be solved.