BENGALURU: Retired bank officer N Srinivasan wouldn't have imagined in his wildest dream that he'd get to see his beloved motorcycle, that was stolen 25 years ago, again. But his son's sustained efforts made it possible.
When the septuagenarian set eyes on the bike at his Hebbal home, he couldn't contain his emotions.
Srinivasan, 75, had purchased the Royal Enfield Bullet in 1971. It was stolen in 1996 after he gave it to a friend temporarily. His software engineer son, who had only a black and white photograph of the bike from 1972 and some memories of bed-time stories, set out to find the two-wheeler for Srinivasan some 15 years ago.
It was in mid-2006 that Arun Srinivasan, now 38, began thinking about his father's long-lost motorcycle. "Working with Syndicate Bank as an agricultural officer dealing with loans for farmers, my father bought the motorcycle in 1971 when he was posted in Hassan town. He rode it extensively to villages in the district on work. There is just one photograph of my father and his friend next to the motorcycle and I could vaguely see the registration plate reading MYH 1731," Arun told TOI.
Determined to locate the bike, Arun reached out to his father's friend in Manipal who temporarily had it in 1995 as Srinivasan was transferred out of the state. But Arun was told the motorcycle was stolen from the friend's possession in 1996 and he had been unable to locate it since then.
Arun continued his quest even as days turned into months and months into years. He enquired at old garages in different parts of Karnataka his dad used to visit. He contacted his father's old friends and agents at various RTOs, and also turned to social media for help in vain until 2021.
The complete digitalisation of the transport department across the country and the government's Parivahan Sewa portal came as a ray of hope for the software professional. "In early 2021, I began searching with the registration details of my dad's motorcycle and much to my delight, 15 years of efforts paid off when I spotted an insurance policy registered under a Royal Enfield Bullet still carrying the registration number MYH 1731," Arun recalled.
After a few more visits to transport offices, Arun in February 2021 managed to trace the owner, a farmer from a village in T Narasipura of Mysuru. "The farmer was surprised to receive my phone call and to know the story behind the motorcycle he was riding. He told me he had purchased the 1971-model bike from a local automobile dealer in 2015 who had bought it at an auction held by Hassan district police for stolen/abandoned vehicles that were unclaimed," Arun said.
Since the farmer had purchased, modified and started using the motorcycle in memory of his grandfather who once owned a Royal Enfield Bullet, it was emotionally hard for him to part with it. But a few months later, Arun received the call he eagerly awaited.
"...He told me he was willing to sell the motorcycle and I agreed," Arun said, adding that he rushed to T Narasipura with his daughter Yashna and friend Karthik Makam to be part of the emotional reunion.
They rode it back to Bengaluru after a few months of restoration work. When Arun and Yashna handed over the bike to Srinivasan, he couldn't hold back his tears. "It is a great feeling to reunite with my old horse after more than 25 years. All thanks to my son," said the overjoyed septuagenarian.
