His passion rides on 550+ vintage two-wheelers
Pune: He kick-started a path to his hobby in 1982 and the journey till 2022 drives home a museum with over 550 vintage bikes, with 95% in running condition. Vinit Prabhakar Kenjale, businessman, of Parvati hills has his name in the 2018 Limca Book of Records for the largest collection of two–wheelers, with the oldest dating back to the 1930s.
Kenjale said, “As a child, I saw a Lambretta (Innocenti) 125 D which had no side panels. I told my friend that the vehicle looked very funny, but the owner said that it is an old model. The interaction changed my perspective and I started noticing the design of every two-wheeler, and started collecting these oldies post-college.”
The 57-year-old enthusiast’s “Vintage Miles Museum”, a one of its kind in Mahabaleshwar, was never on the cards.
“I wondered what would happen to my two–wheelers after me and that is when I started building the museum in 2015,” Kenjale said, adding that the museum includes most of scooter models sold in India.
The museum that opened for the public in December 2021 houses around 150 scooters. Kenjale said, “My hunger for collecting scooters will always remain alive.”
One of the most tedious jobs of owning an automobile is its maintenance and Kenjale has a team for that job. The level of dedication that the team has is such that a lot of vehicles still retain its original colour.
“My plan is to give visitors a memorable chance to ride these vehicles on the museum campus. A lot of people even in their thirties have not driven a hand gear scooter,” Kenjale said.
Kenjale remembers fondly of the times he used to be dropped to school along with his sister by their uncle on his two-wheeler. Kenjale said, smilingly, “I still have that scooter.”
Talking about the trend of electrical vehicles, he said, “The future might be electrical vehicles, but a lot of people wish to relive their ‘two-wheelers’ moments. My effort is to make that wish a reality. New changes are welcome, yet people miss the old.”
Less time to read?
Try Quickreads
-
‘The foolish ones are like walking corpses’: Sanjay Raut's veiled dig at rebels?
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut – under fire from his party's dissident faction for calling them 'living corpses' – on Tuesday, tweeted out a one-liner that contained the phrase 'chalti firti lashain' (moving dead bodies), in what seemed a dig at the rebel group. 'Jahalat', an Urdu word, roughly translates to being unknowledgeable/stupid. The full translation, therefore, reads: “Stupidity is like death, and fools are walking corpses.”
-
Bihar: Trainers, coaching institutes wary of Agnipath impact
The Centre's Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the armed forces has evoked mixed responses ever since it was announced by the government. There is now disappointment among group of trainers and coaching institutes in Bihar engaged in mentoring students for their career paths. Rahul Kumar, who is from Ujiarpur (Samastipur), is a trainer for Army job aspirants. An Army job aspirant Ajit Kumar said the passion for the job was the main driving force.
-
Delhi misses its date with monsoon, light rain likely
The monsoon's arrival in Delhi has been delayed, with rains not predicted to begin for another few days after it was initially predicted that it will keep arrive by its usual onset date of June 27. Showers are expected from Wednesday, and conditions are favourable for monsoon clouds to sweep in over northwest India, the India Meteorological Department said on Monday. The southwest monsoon usually arrives at the capital on June 27.
-
Degree college to be opened in Bilaspur’s Swarghat: Jai Ram Thakur
Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday laid foundation stones of projects worth ₹112 crore in Bilaspur district on Monday. Addressing a meeting at Ghawandal Chowk, the CM announced that a government degree college will be opened at Swarghat in Naina Devi assembly segment. The CM said the government will take over Shakti Senior Secondary School, Naina Devi and open a Primary Education Block office in Naina Devi.
-
Monsoons likely to hit Himachal on June 28: IMD
With the monsoon likely to hit Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, the Indian Meteorological Department has issued a four-day yellow alert for heavy rainfall coupled with thunderstorms in 10 districts of the state, barring Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti. Shimla meteorological centre director Surender Paul said, “Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds blowing at a speed of 30- 40km/hr are expected in the hill state between June 28 and July 1.”
