“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving”. – Albert Einstein
3rd June is World Bicycle Day. Just like any city across the globe, cyclists in large numbers will congregate at the city center or town square and celebrate the day with much fanfare by pedalling and leaving green imprints on the Earth.
It is common knowledge now that burning of fossil fuels- coal and petroleum etc. has asphyxiated the living Earth and has punctured holes in the ozone layer. People in China and particularly in the Netherlands are avid cyclists. In Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, people have rejected automobiles to the extent of creating ‘cycling chaos’ (jams). It is a common sight to see mothers cycling with their toddler sitting in front of the bicycle in this city. Cycle vans ferry students to school. Till a few years ago in India, a cycle was considered as a poor man’s mode of conveyance. During early morning hour milkmen and newspaper vendors can be seen invariably riding a bicycle to offer their services at our door-steps. Guwahati in the 80s and 90s saw more cyclists, people who actually commuted to work in their Hero or Atlas cycles. Children then who are grown-ups now would snake the lanes and by-lanes of their localities often venturing out of their parents radar mounted atop their bicycles. The novice boy or girl learnt the art of ‘half-pedal’ first in the ‘masculine Hero’ cycle.
Nowadays, cycling is not looked down upon. People clad in swanky gel-padded cycling shorts, hand-gloves geared up with nite safe reflective helmets, laser LED lights navigate the streets of the city, either solo, or in twos or threes or still larger groups. Even the ‘pump’ to inflate the tyre tube has undergone a change. One can just use a much easier foot pump instead of the hand-pump.
Many western foreigners flock to Manali in Himachal Pradesh to cover the highest motorable road in the world on wheels as they pedal into thin air, braving inclement weather and the treacherous terrain, crossing Rohtang pass and reach Leh, the capital of Ladakh (J&K). Likewise, Guwahati is slowly but surely waking up and is on its way in becoming a cycling hub within Northeast India. The city with its surrounding hills with serpentine streams and gardened with rich natural vegetation and wildlife is a cyclist’s magnetic marvel. Rides to Pobitora, Hajo, North Guwahati, Chandubi, Kaziranga, Barapani, Shillong, Tawang, Indo-Bhutan border are common by cycling aficionados.
Delhi’s metro map is dotted with bicycles-on-rent esp. near D.U while the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT corridor) has a separate cycling lane. Moreover, the stretch of Delhi-Meerut Expressway near the Akshardham Temple is a much sort-after route among cyclists during winters with the Millennium Park, Indraprastha Park, Sanjay Lake and the sanctum sanctorum of the temple complex in the vicinity. Elsewhere in India, in states like Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu. etc., bicycles-on-rent for travellers and tourists are easily available. The famous East Coast Road (ECR) that leads to Puducherry (Pondicherry) from Chennai via Mammalapuram (Mahabalipuram) is one major cycling destination.
Regular cycling is the mantra to stay fit, healthy and youthful, even when the years add some salt and pepper to our hair. Cyclists are silently contributing to the environmental health as there is zero emission of toxic fumes and hence, absolutely zero pollution. Cycling as a hobby is dirt cheap (except the cost of the bicycle and its accessories). It won’t burn a hole in your pocket no matter how much you ride. In fact, the more you ride the chances of you suffering from common urban life-style diseases like diabetes, hypertension will be less. Hospital bill will be next to nil. Plus it reduces vehicular traffic snarls esp. during peak hours. The route to connect to nature is through the wheels of the bicycle. The popular e-cycle in Goa has boosted the tourism industry as tourist track and trails now cover most of the places of interest on the wheels.
The cycle is a vehicle for self-motivation for those who hit rock bottom in their lives. Each pedal that you push builds your strength. Cycling is all about maintaining a fine balance as you ride. Likewise, it teaches you to balance in life. You got to hold the handle through the bumpy rides of life, lest you fall. It is about taking short pauses as you apply the brake to think and re-think. It is about discovering ‘yourself’ through the journey of life on wheels. It instils confidence within you as you ride solo on deserted roads or at nocturnal hours. You have to push forward against the gusty winds. Problems which get magnified as we approach towards it get reduced in magnitude just like while crossing the trees and the hillocks and the hills on our ride. The real life stories of paracyclists and quadruple amputee cyclist are one of grit, determination and endurance. They are the perennial spring of inspiration.
Students can commute to schools and colleges while professional to their work place within short distance. One can even head to the market to buy groceries riding their cycle. Now that election is over, a newly elected BJP Member of Parliament Mansukh L. Mandaviya from Gujarat decided to ride to the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the oath-taking ceremony. Not so long ago Whatsapp was flooded with a video of a woman minister from New Zealand who cycled all the way to the hospital for child delivery.
Indians must emulate the Dutch and embrace the Dutch bicycle culture. If the second populous country in the world can lessen its carbon imprints like its neighbour- The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, a carbon negative nation, the Earth will be one shade greener and a few degrees cooler. We can each contribute in making the life- harbouring Earth better , cleaner and sustainable. Until then, keep pedalling for bringing about awareness about the benefits of cycling and bring a positive change to ameliorate your life and others too. Happy World Bicyle Day!
-Karobi Gogoi Hazarika
