We Rode All the Way to Delhi

In the Bicycle Age

When I was a kid

We rode all the way to Delhi,

Yes we did!

Somi and Ranji and I …

It took us three days

As we pressed on our pedals,

All two hundred miles

From Dehra to Delhi,

And they gave us no medals!

We sheltered in dhabas

And ate what they gave us,

But no welcoming crowd

In Delhi received us

As dusty, dishevelled

We crossed the old bridge

And rode round the city

And camped on the Ridge.

Next day we rose late—

Our bodies they ached—

So instead of cycling

All the way back again

We put our bikes on the train

And went home in style

To Dehra from Delhi,

Somi and Ranji and I …