Book Review

Murali K Menon’s The God Who Loved Motorbikes

ThiS iS One iMaginaTive FanTaSY Tale meant for motorcycle lovers and has all the ingredients to take them on one crazy ride. written by the noted journalist, Murali K Menon, a self-confessed petrolhead himself, this wacky story revolves around Kandakarnan Swamy (KK), a revered deity living a mundane life in a village in Kerala. but he has almost human-like thoughts and desires and does not even possess any godly powers, apart from not being visible or audible to the average villagers. Things start to get interesting when KK spots a norton Dominator and falls helplessly in love with the machine. as luck would have it, the owner of the norton, Koman Kutty, is an agnostic and what is even funnier is how our holy deity convinces the man to teach him to ride. in a couple of weeks, KK becomes a pro rider and the story evolves as the lord spirals down the world of motorcycles.

as expected, KK gets hooked on to the joy of riding and so begins the insatiable thirst of purchasing a slew of motorcycles with the help of his close aid, Kutty. employing some rather unconventional ideas, KK manages to raise money with the help of a few mortals to quench his motorcycling desires. we get a taste of KK riding and falling in love with bikes such as a used Royal enfield bullet, Jawa 250, and Yamaha RD350. bitten by the motorcycle bug, KK heads to the UK and europe to grind the foot-peg feelers off some more iconic bikes, including a brough Superior, a Matchless Silverstreak, a Ducati 250 Mach1, an ariel Red hunter, and a Moto guzzi v7 750 Special, just to name a few.

Things reach a crescendo when KK starts to yearn for the almost magical velocette venom Thruxton hT, claimed to be the “greatest motorcycle ever”. as the events unfold, the story begins to tighten its grip on the reader. This book in meant for those motorcyclists who daydream of riding these timeless beauties and this ludicrous tale gives them a chance to live that dream.