Funday Times

Paduma and the bicycle race
'Our Gamma will win for sure,' Mahi announces
Gamma is Mahi's eighteen-year-old cousin Gamini, known to be the best cyclist in Wilgama. The village is buzzing with excitement for the annual bicycle race is to be held in three days time. All the young riders from Wilgama as well as the adjoining village, Beligasmulla, will take part. Belisgasmulla is a larger village located closer to the main road and most of the riders are from there.

'Gamma only came third last year,' Bothalay observes. 'How can he win? Beligasmulla riders are very strong.'
'Gamma practised and practised from last year,' Mahi insists, proud of his inside knowledge. 'He also puts a special oil in the wheels. Makes them turn faster.'

'What special oil?' Paduma asks with a frown. 'Where did he get this special oil?'
'My uncle went to Colombo and got,' Mahi goes on. 'Now the bicycle goes like … broo-o-o-sh.'
'No-o-o.'
'Yes. Yes,' Mahi says, excitement getting the better of him. 'I will take you to see.'

'What about Pali? He also goes very fast,' Bothalay tells them. 'Maybe he will give Gamma a fight.'
'Are you mad?' Mahi asks scornfully. 'He has no chance with our Gamma. Come, I'll take you to see the bicycle.'

Gamini's house is near Josa's shop. The boys follow Mahi along the path to the house, not sure if they will be welcome. A heavy woman in a housecoat is spreading paddy on a mat. She looks up with a broad smile.

'Ahh, Mahinda. Mokada me pätthe ada?'
Ahh, Mahinda! What brings you here today?
'Nända, mage yaluvanta Gamini aiyage bicycle eka balanna asalu,' Mahi says.

Aunty, my friends would like to see Gamini's bicycle.
'Podi wadakney,' the woman replies. Then, raising her voice: 'Gamini, Gamini, meheta wareng.'

That's a small thing. Gamini, Gamini, come here.
Gamini, a stocky fellow with heavily muscled arms and legs, emerges from a shed by the side of the house. He is wiping his hands on a rag and clearly unhappy at being disturbed.

'What is it, amma?' he says crossly. 'I am very busy now.'
'Mahinda and his friends have come to see your bicycle.'
'Wha-a-t? See my bicycle?' Gamini yells. 'I'll give them two across the ear. They'll see bicycles in the sky then.'

The fat woman rises slowly to her feet; her face is as stormy as a monsoon cloud. She places her hands on her hips.
'You know very well that Mahinda is my sister's little boy and I am very fond of him,' she says in a terrifying voice. 'Show him whatever he wants to see or I'll throw you and your bicycle into the well.'

'But amma …'
'Did - you - hear - me?'
'Yes, amma.'
Gamini glares furiously at Mahi for a moment, then shrugs his shoulders and turns towards his shed. Paduma and Bothalay have been cowering behind Mahi Bada during the exchange. Now that the war seems to be over, and his side had won, Paduma takes the lead.

Gamini leads them to the shed. Two young men have the bicycle clamped upside down on a bench and are spinning the wheels. They look up in surprise when the three boys walk in.
'Who are these fellows?' one of them asks. Paduma recognises Patholay's brother, Siri. 'Why did you bring them here?'

'This fat lump is my cousin,' Gamini explains in a disgusted tone, pointing at Mahi. 'My amma wants me to show him the bicycle.'
'You're afraid of your amma?' the other boy hoots. 'You should have told her to jump in the wäwa.'

A flushed Gamini reaches forward and grabs the boy by his ear.
'Come and tell my amma that, you nariya,' he grates through his teeth. 'She will make a sambola out of you; then we'll see who is afraid.'
'Ow, Ow, Gamini aiya, I was only joking,' the boy howls. 'Please let go. I don't want to tell nända anything. She will kill me.'

Gamini lifts the bicycle from the bench and places it on the ground. There are gasps of admiration as the boys feast their eyes on the gleaming vehicle. The handlebars gleam like sunbeams and they have never seen any colour as attractive as the metallic red paint of the mudguards.
Paduma reaches out to touch the machine; Gamini slaps his hand away.
'You can look but you can't touch,' Gamini growls.

Paduma is not offended in the least.
'Gamini aiya, with this bicycle you will win the race for sure,' Paduma says. 'Those rogues from Beligasmulla won't have a chance.'
Gamini is slightly mollified by Paduma's hero worship.
'It won't be easy. Ari and Chandima from Beligas came first and second last year,' he says. 'They will be very hard to beat.'

'No. No, you will win,' Mahi adds. 'No one will be able to beat you.'
'What about Pali aiya?' Bothalay asks, referring to the other good rider from their village. 'Will he be able to do well? Maybe he can come second to you?'

'Pali? Are you mad?' Gamini yells. 'How can that penda come anywhere near me? He has no chance.'
Gamini's sunny mood has disappeared at the mention of Pali's name. He spreads his arms and makes waving motions as he walks towards the boys. It is time for them to leave.

'Gamini aiya,' Paduma asks, standing his ground, 'can't we help you to win the race? Is there anything we can do?'
'You pups, what can you do?' Gamini asks; his voice filled with disdain. 'You can stand on the road and cheer, that's all.'

'I thought you might let us come in the van,' Paduma replies.
The leading riders borrow or hire a van to carry their support team. The van is driven just ahead of the rider and crew-members in the vehicle provide glucose water and other assistance to the rider. Next to being a rider in the race, Paduma regards, being a crew-member as the most glamorous activity.

Gamini's mouth opens in surprise; there are howls of laughter from Siri and the other youth.
'You fellows want to go in the van?' Siri hoots. 'You think we are transporting buffalos?'
'There won't be room for anyone else if we take this fatty,' the other boy says.

'Get out of here,' Gamini snarls, as he raps Paduma on the head, 'and listen, if you go to my amma and try to get her to force me, I'll drown all three of you in the wäwa.'

The boys are sitting together on their rock by the wäwa. It is the day before the race and they have not yet been able to find a useful job. At Bothalay's bidding they had visited Pali, the other hopeful from their village.
'Pali has no chance,' Paduma tells the others. 'He is using the same bicycle he uses to go to town. He has never heard of Gamini aiya's special oil. How can he win the race?'

'But he was nice to us also,' Bothalay protests, unwilling to abandon his hero. 'Not like that Gamini.'
Pali had indeed received them kindly when they visited his home. He would have accommodated them in his support van, he said, if only he could afford one. Two friends were to follow him on a motorcycle; that was all the assistance he would get.

'He can't win,' Paduma says.'No use talking about it. Only Gamini has a chance. We must help him.'
'What can we do?' Mahi asks in a dejected tone. 'They won't even take us in the van?'

'We can throw water on Gamini aiya as he goes past. That will cool him down so he can ride faster.'
'What about that Ari and Chandima from Beligas?' Mahi asks. 'Their people will throw water on them so they'll also go faster. What if they are winning?'
'Maybe we can put some miris kudu in the water and throw it on the Beligas fellows,' Paduma says. 'They won't be able to ride with chilli powder in the eyes.'

'Are you mad?' Bothalay asks. 'They'll know who threw the miris. They will kill us straight away.'
The boys are quiet for a while, thinking the problem over.
'Wait,' Paduma says suddenly. 'I remember my Rubin mama saying if you crush kitul seed in water and pour it on someone, the whole body starts scratching.'

'Same thing, no?' Bothalay says. 'They will know it is us. Catch and hammer for sure.'
'No. No,' Paduma responds with a wicked smile. 'It takes some time to start scratching. Other people will throw water also; they won't know it is us.'
'Ahh, that's good,' Bothalay declares, clapping his hands. 'How to scratch when riding? They'll go mad.'

'So we have to make two buckets,' Paduma says. 'One with good water for Gamini and one with kitul seed for the Beligas fellows.'
'Is it all right to do this?' Mahi asks diffidently. 'Don't know what my ammi will say.'

'We are doing this to make Gamini aiya win, no? Ari and Chandima are from the other village,' Paduma says. 'Your amma is sure to say it's all right.'
The race begins on the main road. The route takes the cyclists through Beligasmulla, along a cart track by the wäwa and then through Wilgama to the finish by the main road. The entire village has turned out to watch the event, adults and children standing on either side of the track waiting for the race leaders. Many of the young men have brought buckets of water to throw on their favourites.

Paduma looks at the two large buckets they have carried to the roadside with much difficulty. It is easy enough to make out the difference between the two, for the kitul seed water is turbid. The problem that worries him is something else.

How are they to lift these hefty buckets to throw the water on the riders?
It is not easy. They finally manage to climb on to the branch of a kottang tree that leans over the track, and pull the buckets up by means of a rope. Just in time too, for no sooner have they taken their positions than there is a cry from the crowd. The riders have been spotted.

The race leaders are bunched together. Ari is in the lead with Chandima close behind. Gamini, standing on the pedals and leaning over the handlebars of his red racer, is only a yard behind them.

Paduma, holding the bucket with the kitul seed water, prepares himself. Mahi and Bothalay struggle to balance the second bucket. The branch sags under their combined weight. The riders are almost on them when there is a sharp crack. Three boys, two buckets full of water and a kottang branch crash down on the riders. Ari and Chandima are catapulted into a ditch; a bucket strikes Gamini on the head, making him veer into a fence. He sails over the fence to land with a thud on the far side.

'They have brought Gamini aiya back from the hospital,' Mahi Bada says. 'Ammi says the doctor told him to rest for another week but he won't listen. He is walking round the village with a big stick.'

'Is his brain damaged, do you think?'
'Might be. He won't talk to anyone. Only looking everywhere and muttering …'
'Is he happy that Pali from our village won the race?'
'I'll ask my ammi to find out.'

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