Kochi: A 79-year-old man from Kerala has been left heartbroken after the bicycle that had been his constant companion for nearly seven decades was stolen outside his shop in Kalamassery.

M.B. Prakashan, a resident of Edappally, said the vintage Raleigh bicycle had been an inseparable part of his life for 69 years, accompanying him to work and everywhere else since childhood.

According to Prakashan, he parked the bicycle near his shop at Toll on Tuesday evening as usual but accidentally forgot to lock it. A short while later, when it was about to rain, he went outside intending to move it indoors, only to find it had disappeared. After searching the surrounding area, he realised that someone had stolen it within minutes.

The bicycle was purchased in 1957 by his father, M.R. Balakrishnan, from Kavitha Cycle Emporium on M.G. Road in Kochi when Prakashan was just 10 years old. Since then, he had used it almost every day, describing it as a companion that had travelled alongside him through every stage of his life.

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A former employee of Apollo Tyres, Prakash said he never ended a workday without cleaning the bicycle first, regardless of how late he returned home. Even after retiring, it remained his nightly routine to wipe it clean before going to bed.

The bicycle had survived accidents over the years, including one in which a scooter damaged both wheels. Although many advised him to discard it and buy a new one, Prakashan instead had it repaired, unwilling to part with what he regarded as a trusted friend.

During his tenure as a councillor of Kalamassery Municipality and as a member of the governing committee of the Kalamassery Service Co-operative Bank, he continued to travel among local residents on the same bicycle.

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Prakashan’s 11-year-old grandson, Samanyu, had long wished to inherit the cherished bicycle. Having grown up helping his grandfather clean and care for it, the boy had developed a special attachment to it.

Now, Prakashan says he is deeply saddened not only by the loss of a treasured possession but also because he may never be able to fulfil his wish of passing on the bicycle — a lasting memory of his late father — to his grandson.