
This is a two part narrative account of my experience with bicycle for 55 years. My bicycle experience can be divided into three historical periods: 1.1956 -2000; 2. 2000- 2017; 3. 2017 – to present. In the first period it is mainly lived experience with cycles in small towns in India. In the second period I linked the bicycle to environment and resource depletion. In the third period I became critically aware of the contradiction in the bicycle scene – between the roadster and the fancy bicycles. We cover the period 1956 -2000 in Part I of this article and the period 2000 -2024 in the Part II of this article.
Period II: 2000 – 2021
In 2001, I was 58 year old. I decided to move my base from a city to a farm. Accordingly, I moved to a farm some 30 km away outside Hyderabad. It was owned by Dr. Pradeep Patalay and Venkat helped in designing it on the basis of permaculture. Pradeep was a very good handyman and could use tools properly. This is rare for educated Indians and I learned a lot from him.
I kept in touch with Hyderabad, which was only 30 Km away. In Hyderabad, at Cerana Foundation we were working on industrial risk management, environment and global warming. Here I developed my concepts on resource depletion and alternatives. In 2009 I published a book with the title, ‘Regaining Paradise: Towards a Fossil Fuel Free Society’. In the book, in the chapter, ‘Urban Initiatives towards a fossil fuel free society’ I described what would happen in urban areas. In 2009 I had not heard of ‘Transition Town’ or other such initiatives, though what I wrote was similar. I promoted the use of bicycle and cycle rickshaws for urban transport and reduction of fossil fuel based transport.
Bicycle Promotion
In 2016, I initiated Ecologise Hyderabad. The year 2017, was the Bicentenary year of the Bicycle and Ecologise Hyderabad, and decided to celebrate it in a big way. Since I have been a ‘dedicated’ cyclist all my life, meaning that I never took a driving license, nor drove a fossil fuel-based vehicle, it came very handy as it increased my credibility. We had a film show, bicycle rallies and meetings. We also ran a Facebook page and published four books. Since then, I have been writing regularly about the bicycle in several journals and posting on bicycle Face book pages.
Kolkata Cycle Samaj
Around this time I came in touch with Kolkata Cycle Samaj. It happened like this. I had come to Kolkata on my annual visit and was giving an informal talk to a group of naturalists on sustainability and equality. I also focussed on the bicycle, as 2017 was the bicentenary year of the bicycle. I said, ‘from an ecological perspective the bicycle is one of the most sustainable and affordable modes of transport. Almost anyone can afford it. It is cheaper than a smart phone! It is the transport of the future particularly when oil resources are depleting.’ I also talked about the forthcoming book by our group entitled, ‘Women and the Bicycle: Mobility, Freedom, Empowerment and Joy.’ In the meeting there was a 50 year old woman who chatted with me on my way back in a taxi. She talked about her unhappy life. I suggested that she buy a bicycle and learn how to use it. Surprisingly she did it and learned to cycle after a lot of difficulties and help from some elderly people in the locality. On my next visit she introduced me to Raghu, the Secretary of Kolakata Cycle Samaj.
Among the cycle clubs in India the Kolkata Cycle Samaj is an exception. The main reason is its history. In Kolkata in 2008, under the pressure of car owners, the Kolkata police banned bicycles on 178 roads. They also started making cyclists pay a fine of hundred rupees for violating the ban. Naturally there was uproar. The greatest sufferers were the working class members for whom the bicycle was a necessity and their jobs involved in travelling on these roads. Kolkata Cycle Samaj was born with the objective of removing this ban. While they have not fully succeeded in it they have created a great awareness about the bicycle and urban transport issues all over the country and even abroad. Under enormous pressure from KCS and citizens and from international condemnation, in 2014 they reduced the ban on 62 arterial roads of the city. The face book page of KCS has 5800 members!
I began to contribute regularly to this Face book page and I still do. Reading and writing for KCS and following events there helped me enormously to keep in touch with radical aspects of the bicycle scene.
Period III: 2021 – 2024
The bicycle again got a boost during the Covid pandemic. During the Covid pandemic India declared a sudden lock down of three months. Millions of urban poor people lost their jobs and were evicted from their homes. Millions trudged home on foot and some on bicycles too to go to their villages. The people who went on bicycles went on roadsters. Some of them cycled for more than 1000 Kms.! The lock down also influenced many urban middle class people about the importance of the bicycle.
This made me realise the two worlds of the bicycle in India – the world of fancy cycles and the world of the roadsters. My background of Marxism and class struggle helped me to understand this. I wrote a series of articles for Countercurrents, Frontier Magazine and Mainstream Magazine. What follows below is my current understanding of the bicycle situation in India which I developed while writing these articles. I published a book in September this year, ‘The Bicycle in India: Selected Articles and Stories’. This also helped me to put my thoughts about the bicycle together.
Neo liberalism and arrival of fancy bicycles and kids bicycles
Neo – liberalism came to India in 1991, where it was presented as a package of ‘economic reforms’ for ‘Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation.’ It ended the ‘permit quota raj,’ allowed foreign companies to import, invest and set up their enterprises in India, and ushered in an era of new wealth for the rich and the middle classes at a tremendous cost to ecology.
Indian Bicycle Industry
India is the second largest manufacturer of bicycles in the world. The industry is classified into four segments — standard, premium, kids and exports. Demand for standard/roadster bicycles, which is the largest segment (accounting for half of all bicycles sold in 2020) is driven by government purchases. Government departments procure these bicycles through a tender process and distribute them under various welfare schemes. Demand for premium and kids bicycles (nearly 40 per cent) is driven by fitness and leisure needs. Exports and sales of other kinds of bicycles constitute the remaining 10 per cent demand.
Decline of the Roadster
In 1990, 90 percent bicycles produced in India were roadsters. By 2020 it had been reduced to 50 percent. What has happened?
After independence the import of bicycles was banned and India started manufacturing its own bicycles. Several important bicycle companies came up – Sen Raleigh in Asansol, Hercules/BSA in Chennai, Atlas, Hero and Avon in Punjab (In those days Haryana was not formed).
However in 1991 imports again began. Neo liberalism also brought new wealth and an affluent middle class was born. At the same time concern about climate, global warming and health consciousness increased. This gave rise to a new demand for bicycles from this class and the market for Premium/Fancy cycle was born. And in a few years along with the new generation of kids, the market for kids also came into being. Since then the market share of fancy and kid’s bicycles has continuously increased.
I am not against special cycles or ‘pro’ cycles like race cycles or cycles used for long tours lasting several days or even months. They can occupy about one percent of the cycle market. And a decent race cycle will cost tens of thousands of rupees. The fancy cycle market imitates the race cycle model and offers it between ten to twenty thousand rupees. Obviously it is a fake or imitation model with all the well known ‘qualities’, that is, it is attractive to look at when new, difficult to maintain, built in ‘obsolescence’ (the process of becoming antiquated, out of date, old-fashioned, no longer in general use, or no longer useful) and waste of scarce resources. Essentially it is a use and throw model. It attracts the younger generation of neo rich people, a class that has come into being after liberalization starting from 1990. The fancy cycle market in India is thus essentially a 21st century market.
I am opposed to kid’s bicycles as children cannot learn to take care of the bicycle. I think there should be no kids’ bicycles produced. They are bought by relatively affluent people. Children treat them as toys and when the novelty is over it is just abandoned. Parking places in housing complexes in Indian metro cities are becoming graveyards of kids cycles and fancy cycles. They are a big waste of scarce non renewable resources. One of the saddest sites is when the kid’s cycle is passed to a poor child. It is broken, often without the chain being in its place and the child struggling with it. Instead the child could have been happily running about, playing marble etc.
Good Cycling Culture
The basis of a good cycling culture is to own the bicycle and treat it as a valuable asset. Today a decent Smartphone costs twice the price of a decent roadster and it would appear that everyone owns a Smartphone. This devalues the bicycle and it has two effects – an urge to own a fossil fuel driven vehicle – a Scooty or Scooter at least or to go and buy a fancy cycle. Over the years I have argued that for most of the urban rides of a few kilometres on a ladies roadster is the best possible bicycle costing around Rs. 6000/-
Bicycling Infrastructure
The most important bicycling infrastructure is a neighbourhood maintenance shop which will do basic maintenance – like oiling, cleaning, check brakes and chain cover and of course puncture repairs. This is as basic as the neighbourhood vegetable shop, milk booth or repairing shoes and chappals. In many states in India the government has standard kiosks for leather workers (repair of shoes, chappals, bags etc). I feel that similar provisions should exist for basic bicycle maintenance. Today this kind of work is done on a footpath, which is a shame! The second important infrastructure should be paid parking faculty. This also can be subsidised by the government creating the stand and a shelter for the caretaker. It is even possible to combine the two facilities in some places.
While choosing a bicycle, apart from buying a roadster from a decent manufacturer, the things to choose are: Size of the frame (18, 20, 22 and 24 inches) according to the height of the person. It is best to choose it by trying out although a chart is available giving the height of the person and size of the bicycle. One should buy a stand that goes under the back wheel and not leaning on the side. It is lockable and gives a stable stand. Back carrier and front basket is available with most bicycles but one can also choose. Make sure there are reflectors on the back mud guard and if possible on the back of the seat and on the wheels.
One must have an air pump in the house. Basic cycle tool kits are available but one should learn how to use it. My suggestion is that every child should go through an apprenticeship of one month in a bicycle maintenance shop after she finishes (at the age of 11 years) primary school. In India normally we have a summer vacation of two months. It is the ideal time for this apprenticeship and learning to ride on a second hand bicycle first and then purchase a new one.
For a normal ride of a few kilometres no dress code is needed, particularly on a ladies bicycle. On a ladies bicycle you can wear anything – saree, dhoti, lungi, skirts and even formal dresses. I am opposed to helmets and jackets having reflectors.
Basic tools to repair the bicycle: Apart from the pump, the rest can be packed in a small bag. In my childhood there used to be a little bag of tools, some 4”x6”x2”, which was hung from the back of the seat with two small belts. The lists of tools are easily available. We have given it in our book, “You and Your Bicycle” written by Lavanya K. and Shamala Kittane: https://www.scribd.com/document/359724660/You-and-Your-Bicycle-A-Guide-to-Maintaining-Your-You-and-Your-Bicycle-A-Guide-to-Maintaining-Your-Cycle-by-Lavanya-K-and-Shamala-Kittane.
The most expensive part is the pump which can cost Rs. 250/- or so. The rest will be about Rs. 100/. So budge for a maximum of Rs. 400/-
Future Transitions
The most important policy is to reduce traffic on the road. And the first priority is to reduce private cars on the road. They are the worst polluter in terms of pollution per person; least efficient in terms of people they carry and are parked at least 18 hours a day occupying valuable urban space.
Every cyclist should go through a basic course on what a bicycle is and how to maintain it. It can be done during summer holidays for school children and others can do part time courses.
In India the cycles that are provided in the free cycle programmes for school children need to have quality control. There are reports that they go bad quickly. Of course lack of responsibility towards a free gift also plays a role. But the situation needs urgent improvement.
Better infrastructure includes: 1. neighbourhood good maintenance shops, 2. Paid parking places, 3. Reduction of large fossil fuel based vehicles which cause most of the pollution and traffic congestion.
The best material remains steel. However some parts can be made by plant products easily – starting from the front basket. Reports of bamboo cycles are not very encouraging in India though in Africa they seem to have more success.
I think some of the cycle parts industry from Ludhiana can have branches in other industrial areas of India – West Bengal, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
Concluding Remarks
Today my position can be described in a kind of charter of demands as follows:
1. The bicycle should be defined as ‘human powered wheel based transport’. This will include the cycle rickshaw in its various forms including cargo tricycles and four wheeled push carts.
2. Promote Roadsters only. Basically three models: ladies, gents and heavy duty.
3. Reduce or eliminate GST taxes on roadster bicycles costing below Rs. 6000/-. At present it is 12%.
4. Facilitate loans for cycles.
5. Provide Kiosks for bicycle repair shops on convenient spots as they are provided for leather workers.
6. Provide cycle parking places in convenient spots. E.g. like railway stations, major bus stations and bus stops, cinema halls, shopping centres etc.
7. Provide cycle tracks in all community sports areas.
8. Promote cycles by providing cycles to school children, police men, post men, telephone and electricity departments. Also to any other services that need a lot of travelling in the city.
Our Slogans
* Pedal More * *Pollute Less* *Cycle to Work*
*Occupy all Streets* *Republic on Roads*
*******
About The Author
T. Vijayendra (1943- ) was born in Mysore, grew up in Indore and went to IIT Kharagpur to get a B. Tech. in Electronics (1966). After a year’s stint at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata, he got drawn into the whirlwind times of the late 60s. Since then, he has always been some kind of political-social activist. His brief for himself is the education of Left wing cadres, so he almost exclusively publishes in the Left wing journal Frontier, published from Kolkata. For the last few years, he also has been publishing in online journals like, Countercurrents and Mainstream. For the last twelve years, he has been active in the field of ‘Peak Oil’ and is a founder member of Peak Oil India and Ecologise. Since 2015, he has been involved in Ecologise Camps.
In 2016, he initiated Ecologise Hyderabad. Vijayendra has been a ‘dedicated’ cyclist all his life, meaning that he has never taken a driving license, nor driven a fossil fuel-based vehicle. 2017, was the Bicentenary year of the Bicycle and Ecologise Hyderabad, decided to celebrate it in a big way. They had a film show, bicycle rallies and meetings. They also ran a Face book page and published four books. Since then, he has been writing regularly about the bicycle in several journals and posting on bicycle Face book pages. The bicycle again got a boost during the pandemic and he wrote a series of articles for Countercurrents, Frontier Magazine and Mainstream Magazine.
Today, he divides his time between an organic farm at the foothills of the Western Ghats where he watches birds and writes fiction, and Hyderabad. He has published a book dealing with resource depletions, three books of essays, three collections of short stories, a novella, an autobiography and a book on the Transition Town Movement (with co-authors: Usha Rao and Shreekumar).
Email: [email protected]