Long back when I joined my field job in 1982, I purchased a two-wheeler and this article describes my onward field job journey with the start of that two-wheeler. As a way of explaining my growth stages in my sales career.

1. Ravi Speaks:-
ARTICLE UPDATED ON 09.07..2022
"My Bajaj Super was purchased in September 1982."
The topic today may look very light, but it has a real sentimental attachment to my journey
starting from March-1982 at Ludhiana. The day I landed in Ludhiana and started working in
the field-I had this desire to go in for the two-wheelers immediately. Working on foot was very
difficult since the doctors were in different places and in a day, I used to spend quite a lot of
money only on hiring man-driven rickshaws. Only that way I used to reach all my doctors
whom I was supposed to meet every day. Not that big a problem on the days when I was
working in the interiors or even in the Hospitals of Ludhiana, but it was a real tough job,
especially in the scorching heat of the summers in the city working especially.
MY BAJAJ SUPER-PJI-3420 AT LUDHIANA.

2. All my other colleagues in the profession had the two-wheelers, and some had even
motorcycles. Those days-“YEZDI” & “RAJDOOT” Motorcycles were very famous and popular
too-whereas in Scooters the Bajaj Chetek and Bajaj-Super were mainly there with my other
colleagues. Many times I used to take the lift from my other company colleagues and even
for the interiors I used to plan to go to some particular Interior along with my colleague on his
motorcycle. I am reminded of one very dreaded scene-which happened in June when I had
gone with my friend Mr. Malhotra of “Cadila” on his Motorcycle to “Rajewal”-one interior
which was around 70 km from Ludhiana and otherwise also I had to change two buses to
reach that place. On our way back, Mr. Malhotra was driving, and I was sitting behind him
with my working bag in my hand Mr. Malhotra’s working bag was fixed on the right side of
the motorcycle. Suddenly there was a Tyre burst of the motorcycle on the National Highway
in the afternoon around 2.30 PM and it was scorching heat and the road was having the
melted Tar Coal floating in the liquid form on the road top. With the blast like the noise, I fell
on the side of the road with a big bang and didn’t know about Mr. Malhotra-which side he fell.
After some time when I realized I was in my senses, I found myself on the Jute knitted bed
(Wooden-Charpai) with a few people around me asking me how I was. I found my shirt torn
and there was a bit of bleeding on the knee of my right hand. Rest I was OK. When I asked
about Mr. Malhotra, they had taken him to a nearby private doctor’s clinic for bandaging and
immediate treatment, since he had more external injuries. Those guys took full care and
after taking water, say in the evening around 6.00 PM, I took a local bus and reached back
Ludhiana. I had already met Mr. Malhotra, and he too was fine, but his motorcycle was
damaged badly. He told me to go and said that he would take the Mo-bike also with him and
it would take some more time for him. That day I realized that with all the advantages of the
vehicle, this big disadvantage could even be fatal-but then it was all up to the circumstances
and the condition of the vehicle, which matters a lot.

3. MOTORCYCLE DRIVE IS NOT THAT SAFE.
Even after this almost narrow mishap on the National Highway-still, I was eagerly waiting for
when I would go in for the Scooter and not at all for the Motorcycle. Look at the irony.
Despite having no money in my pocket, I had thought of purchasing my Scooter right from
the day I started work. I remembered that on the first day also when my RM Mr. Chhabra
took me to Union Bank of India-“Kesarganj-Mandi”-Ludhiana to open my savings account.
He asked me whether I had Rs. Twenty since, with just twenty bucks saving, a bank account
could have been opened. With such a financial situation, I still had a great desire to go in for
the two-wheelers. The reason for that was only the comfort level and efficiency of working
getting enhanced.

4. LUDHIANA-MAIN CLOCK TOWER
Slowly and steadily I started saving some amount for the same and in those days there was
a premium to be paid besides the actual cost of the Scooter of Bajaj Super. I still remember I
had to pay Rs. 1800/- more than the premium. Finally, in September I could purchase the
same and Bajaj Super was not available in Ludhiana. So, I had to go all the way to
Chandigarh and get it. I was not that confident about driving the Scooter then. So, I
requested my other colleague at Ludhiana, Mr. Sawhney, to come to Chandigarh along with
me and help me in getting the scooter to Ludhiana. Mr. Sawhney was a very nice guy and
helped too. He decided with me on the weekend date and came down to Chandigarh. I had
my uncle there with whom I went to purchase the scooter and Mr. Sawhney came to my
uncle's place and from there we started for Ludhiana. The distance was around 94Kms and

5. he drove all the way till Ludhiana and dropped me and my scooter at my residence. Finally, I
got the one that I was desiring to have for quite some time. Those days the scooter craze
was very high and the cars were only with just a few people.
LUDHIANA-JAGRAON BRIDGE-ACCIDENT SPOT.
I started learning to drive and even started working in the city on the same. Slowly and
steadily, I became very confident in driving and started taking the scooter to the interiors for
interior coverage as well. This vehicle made my working very easy and I could realize that
my efficiency levels too improved drastically.
My dependence on it became so much that a stage came when I could not feel comfortable
working in the interiors without it where I used to go on foot earlier. Thus, this
Scooter-PJI-3420 went with me to almost all the interiors and city areas of Ludhiana during
my stay at Ludhiana. The beauty is that the same Scooter I had taken to my
Hometown-Jammu for quite a few days there too was very handy during my marriage
functions.
Finally, in 1990, I brought the same vehicle to Delhi -when I got transferred to Delhi. Here in
Delhi, the driving was altogether a different proposition, and every day I used to drive around
40-50 Km and this vehicle gave me great help here as well. Finally, with time, things started
changing and the vehicle too became around eight years old and started posing technical
problems. I had to go in for the new one-“LML-Piaggio” and sold it in 1993 for a very paltry
sum.
I was emotionally attached to this vehicle and was very comfortable with the same even
while driving the longer routes as well. I remember I had two major accidents also with this
vehicle. But on both occasions, I was saved narrowly. One was at “Jagraon -Bridge” in
Ludhiana-where I was hit from the back by a car and luckily I did not get any major injury the
second one was at the Delhi-Punjabi Bagh flyover-where I had a lot of external injuries and I
remember I was put in one Rikshaw and the scrambled Scooter in another and taken directly
to a doctor in the evening at around 8.30 PM. I was badly bandaged and some honorable
gentleman dropped me at my pace in “Pushpanjali-Enclave”-which was around 2 km from
the accident spot. The next day I had to travel out of Delhi and I went on long-distance-
travel since I had no major injuries.

6. DEL-PUNJABI BAGH-FLYOVER-ACCIDENT SPOT
The Scooter was collected after four-five days from the mechanic who had made it again
ready for the ride. You must be surprised why I whisked this lighter topic amid my discussion
other than the marketing and sales points. I thought let us go slightly lighter and also realized
that this small vehicle too played a very good inning with me while I was picking the tricks of
the trade. It was my proper partner in the journey of Sales and Marketing-teachings. It would
remain as a sweet memory with me as and when my thought goes to “PJI-3420”.
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