So.

its been a long time since I wrote anything due to a magnitude of reasons and the most important one being that I was denied access to my motorcycle for about 5 months. This kinda fractured my funny bone and made me grovel in the corner of my room at all times ( I was also being just plain lazy for a long time, but that’s a different story)

It all started in september, when we (the core riding group) decided to make a plan for our expedition to the mountains in the south while keeping in mind the main reason for us to go to the south: Meet the people from India’s rear and eat through the south.

We did meet both our goals. We met 700+ riders from all over india who descended onto the normally serene and tranquil environs of Ooty in Tamil Nadu like hornets, injecting noxious fumes like stings into their “breathable without a mask” air.

While I was in Ooty eyeing the various food options in the city and checking out the 50 shops all claiming to be the “first chocolate outlet” in the city I received a call from my cousin who demanded that as I was in south India, I should pay him a visit. The following morning I received about 50 calls in a row from the mother, the father and my cousin trying to persuade me to go visit him in Chennai.

That fateful noon when I(yes, even the enlightened sometimes succumb to requests made by daddy and mommy’s phonecalls) agreed to dump all my fellow riders and go to Chennai was the week after which all the happiness in my life was sucked out like juice from a glass.

It took 530 kilometers of driving on South Indian roads to reach Chennai via Mettupalliyam. I reached chennai thinking that I will catch up with the others at hyderabad in a day or two but alas! that was not to be.

My cousin had planned this emotional blackmail which included him locking me and himself out of this house…(and ofcourse, taking me out to eat at some of the best places I’ve been to in a while).it was quite torturous… The real ordeal began when I expressed the desire to leave.

I was assisted by my cousin’s colleague in every possible way(including driving me around chennai and cooking some kinda flattened fish(which was wickedly tasty, btw) and the most crucial part- finding a trucker to haul my motorcycle back to chandigarh. Unfortunately sending it by train was not an option as the train would leave chennai after I had to leave, so I decided to send it by road using the most expensive and supposedly super professional trucker named “Sri Thangam Packers and Movers”

We hit a bargain@4500 rupees for pickup and delivery and the promise to send the motorcycle to chandigarh within 6 days. Everything was peachy. I packed my bags and left for Chandigarh.

The ordeal begins. I call up “someone”@ Sri Thangam to ask about my bike. The answer “It will reach in a daye or two anna! pleas wayte”. I said okay, it usually takes 8 days, so this is allright.

I waited for 6 days and called them again- Anna, there is a strike in Maharashtra. Bike stuck there. I agreed as there was actually a strike in Maharashtra and it was all over the news.

5 days later: Anna it will be there in a daye.

another day later: Anna, its coming soon. Ples taak to Karthik about it.

Karthik something something tambi is the biggest fart ever. He gave me incessant “golis” about where my bike was. Finally when I threatened police action, I was told the real story:

My bike was given to Sri Thangam. They did not have a truck going to chandigarh, so they gave it to RTC Xpress Cargo Movers. They did not send it for 2 weeks and then finally gave it to the star of the trucking industry, the biggest thieves in the world-Lalji Mulji transport company.

RTC owned Lalji money. They saw a golden opportunity: to peddle my motorcycle as bait so that the money is paid to them. After hundreds of calls, my bike reaches Chandigarh into the hands of Satbir Singh, an Idiot employed by LMTCo. He refused to give it up saying they do not have authorization.

I call chennai again and am told the entire story. I go to the police, the police connives with them, allows them enough time to hide my motorcycle under the pretext that it has been sent to a different city under orders from LTMCo. Chandigarh police, the “we care for you” slogan touting liars did nothing.

I filed a case in the consumer court. Post filing of the case, an ass called Bhoop Singh calls me and says i should take back the case IF i want to see my motorcycle again. I talk to my lawyer and he says disregard.

Long story short, finally, after MONTHS of arguments at the court, my motorcycle was delivered to me. It drained me physically, mentally and everything-ally. I lost my appetite, sense of humour, libido and a lot of money travelling on taxis… All this for what? For expecting a basic service from an operator that I paid for.

These three companies: Lalji Mulji Transport Co, Sri Thangam Packers and RTC Xpress are the WORST companies in the transport industry. Actually, the entire indian transportation industry is run by thugs, thieves and sundry. They will beg, borrow and steal so they may earn money from their enterprise.

I hope no one else ever sends anything via a truck and gets stuck in an ordeal like this.

-The sad baba.