Kochi: Nearly a month after a thief stole the 1957 Raleigh Humber bicycle that had been his constant companion for nearly seven decades, 80-year-old MB Prakashan, a resident of Edappally in Kochi, is back on two wheels on Independence Day – thanks to neighbours and friends who found him a new vintage-style bicycle and put him at the head of an Independence Day cycle rally.

The new bicycle was formally handed over to Prakashan by members of the Manguzhy Nagar Residents’ Association in Edapally on Saturday morning. Minutes later, Prakashan pedalled from the association’s junction on Manguzhy Road to the nearby theatre junction, leading an Independence Day rally of children, elders and residents.

The 1957-model Raleigh Humber was a treasured family heirloom that Prakashan had preserved for nearly 30 years after his father handed it over around three decades ago. A thief stole it on July 22, just a day before his father's 23rd death anniversary. Since then, the man who had depended on bicycles throughout his life had been struggling to move around on foot.

Several well-wishers had offered to buy him another bicycle, but Prakashan initially refused. It took a group of younger friends from the locality to persuade him to accept one after they saw how difficult it had become for him to get around.

The search was not simply for a replacement. At 80, Prakashan found it increasingly difficult to lift his leg over the tall horizontal crossbar of a traditional men’s bicycle. He wanted a step-through ladies’ model with a curved centre bar.

“I had gone to check for a cycle myself, but on that very day, my friends called and said they intended to buy one for me,” Prakashan said. “With the old Raleigh gents’ cycle, lifting my leg over the top crossbar had become very difficult, and I was hitting my leg and about to fall. So I told them a ladies’ model would be enough,” he told Onmanorama.

Members of the Manguzhy Nagar Residents’ Association eventually tracked down a suitable bicycle through Jaibharath Cycle Shop on Broadway, Ernakulam. The shop directed them to Srihari Enterprise, an old establishment in the Cherlai area of Mattancherry Market.

“It was hard to find the old model, but fortunately we found a 29-inch vintage-style Raleigh ladies’ model that was kept unsold from decades ago at one corner of the shop. We checked its condition and bought it for ₹9,000. The bicycle was assembled straight from its original stock packaging and features classic fittings, brass nipples, a genuine leather saddle and a heavy half-kilogram lock. It reached Kalamassery late on the eve of Independence Day,” said Pradeep Subhash, a member of the association.

On Friday morning, the Manguzhy Nagar Residents’ Association formally handed over the bicycle to Prakashan. The handover was part of the association's Independence Day campaign, 'Toofan Freedom / Freedom from Waste'.

After reaching his shop on the new bicycle, Prakashan spoke of the simple joy of being back on a bicycle. “When getting a new cycle, there is the happiness of a small child receiving a bicycle,” he said. But the happiness could not completely erase the loss that brought him there.

“Even so, the loss of my father’s cycle is something I haven’t been able to fully overcome. My mind still says that through everyone’s prayers and efforts, it will be found,” he said.

The new Raleigh has restored something of Prakashan’s old routine. But the 1957 Humber remains irreplaceable. The stolen bicycle had been gifted to him by his father nearly seven decades ago and had remained with him through his working years and public life. Prakashan continues to hope that the old bicycle will somehow find its way back to him.

He has also decided what he will do if it does. “If my father’s original 1957 Raleigh Humber is recovered, I plan to retire it as an honoured family relic and preserve it prominently in my home for my future generations,” he said.