Motorcycle diaries

We spend a day with the Bulleteers at Ridermania'05

There have been many chronicles that have extolled male bonding. One could list thousands of films from various 'ollywoods, a couple of million books and still more articles, stories, passages and quotes. But all of it doesn't prepare you for the real thing.

Welcome to Ridermania 2005. As a concept, it is quite simple "� a meeting point for Bullet enthusiasts across the country. To the outsider, the charm is purely free service from Royal Enfield mechanics and cheap beer.

But as you've probably guessed, there's a lot more to it. For starters, the riders who thundered into the reception area were almost without exception, part of a club.

Altogether, about twenty clubs showed up, in strengths ranging from five to thirty riders. Core idea? Meet other riders, clubs and organisations and engage in loads of male bonding.

If you're thinking 'Ha, another of those men-only, testosterone-fuelled events', well, you'd be mostly right. The ladies did ride, but as pillion, with one solitary much-earringed exception.

The festivities began with the unveiling of a custom Bullet, which was later raffled off. The first of the ice-breakers was arm-wrestling.

As the deejay said, 'Go on, take the opponents hand. Don't be shy, we're all family here.' Quite. Other activities included a bike-assembly competition, a hard-driving rock concert and the de rigeur ride, where about two hundred thumpers marched down the highway.

We caught up with Nagpur-based Anukaran Singh, who was a first-timer (and a lone wolf) at Ridermania '04 and who says the event is now etched into his calendar. Meeting Bulleteers and seeing first hand what brotherhood was about, he set up Wanderlust Motor-cycle Club.

Other Bulleteers agreed that friendships forged here are made of steel and seem to resist the restrictions of time and space.

Attending a meet like this made us realise that it's irrelevant whether you're a hardcore Bulleteer or not. What's important is the feeling of belonging and the chance to head out on the open road. Is it any surprise, then, that we're already looking forward to next year's event?