Relevance of Bicycles in India

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I have been writing so much about India travel for the past couple of years that I often find challenging to introduce new ways to keep the audience engaged with something fresh and new. This post is a part of the challenge by Mary J. Melange one of my blogging buddies and while last month when I was writing on Indian Railways, she came up with a concept on writing on two-wheelers, anything from Harley bikes to bicycles. While I certainly admit that boys and men in India do love Harley Davidson bikes, but not everyone can afford it and therefore you don’t see much of those on the streets. Mary is also known as the Biker Chick and her love for the bike runs as deep as mine for the Indian Railways.

Before I get started, I would like to inform my readers that this is not going to be a regular destination related post, but about the Indian lifestyle in general. For Indian readers, there might some information that they know or do not know, but for international readers, this would be a great insight into how bicycles still play an important role in the life of Indians.

Historically, India got introduced to the concept of bicycles in 1890. It was the time when India was still under the rule by the East India Company. Globally, this was the time when the development of the safety bicycles was on the rise.  The earlier perception of the bicycle was that it was a risky and dangerous toy for sporting men, but with the introduction of safety bicycles in the 1880s and 1890s, there was a shift in use and public perception and bicycles became an everyday transport mode for men and women of all ages. However, it was in 1938 that The Cycling Federation of India decided to take charge and introduced cycling as a recreational sport and a way to stay fit. From that day onwards, bicycles have remained closely associated with the Indian lifestyle.

India is developing as we all hear about it in the news and media and while Indians have quickly jumped on to some technologies like smartphones and social media, Indians still make use of bicycles and you can see bicycle shops and repair shops in every nook and corner of a mega city like Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai. Now, some might argue that bicycles are majorly used in rural India while the urbanized India has moved on to zippy scooters and racing bikes, but let me tell you that it is not entirely true and I will show you that shortly. A couple of years ago, The Times of India, one of India’s top newspapers wrote an article on declining cycle ownership in India and provided a report released by The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI). While I don’t argue that this is false, I still believe that Indians cannot do away with cycles. Bicycles are very much a part of an Indian lifestyle. Even if you’re an Indian who doesn’t own a cycle, you might be amazed to know that in some way bicycles is connected to some part of your life.

Let’s start the day with a fresh cup of tea and a newspaper. This is what majority of Indians want the moment they wake up. Whether you’re getting late for the office, eating your breakfast hurriedly on the breakfast table, or if you’re relaxed attending your nature call in your own comfort, you need a newspaper with a sensational and breaking news to start your day, isn’t it? Now, you must be wondering why I am talking about the newspaper all of a sudden? Well, that is because the newspapers in the country are still being delivered on bicycles. While online newspapers are slowly taking over the charm of the print newspapers, it still remains a part of the lifestyle for many Indians.

The newspaper vendor usually buys the number of copies from the newspaper company and then sends off the delivery boys that circulate newspapers door-to-door every morning. If you ever walk out in metro cities at around five or six in the morning you’ll see these people working in the streets nearby and they quickly do their job and disappear before India wakes up to a new day. In fact, let me tell you that India’s most-loved former President Late A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was a newspaper boy himself delivering local newspaper during his childhood days. So, if you’re an Indian who thinks your life does not depend on a bicycle, think again, because, without it, you won’t get your daily dose of a newspaper.

So you’re someone who doesn’t bother what’s happening in the world and you don’t choose the monthly subscription of a daily newspaper at your doorstep. Fair enough, but you still somehow are connected with the bicycle. Knives are important for every kitchen and I believe no kitchen is complete without knives. While elite class in India might be using Japanese blade and Swiss technology knives, a large population of middle-class Indians still buys regular stainless steel knives available locally in the market.

These knives need sharpening every few months and while some areas have knife sharpening shops, the majority of the household people still make use of the door-to-door knife sharpener man. Wait a minute; did you just say someone actually calls out on the street to offer knife sharpening services? Yes, that’s correct and he does that on a bicycle.

The knife sharpener person pedals from street to street shouting out the services he renders and you call him out of your home window. The bicycle stops, he puts the cycle on the rear stand (as you see in the picture above) which lifts the rear tire high above the ground. The grinding stone wheel is connected with the rear tire of the bicycle. You give him your not-so-efficient kitchen knives or scissors and he gets on with his work. He pedals the cycle and the rear tire instantly gets into action spinning the grinding stone. A few sparks fly here and there and your blunt kitchen knives in no time transforms into a mini Japanese katana. These guys also sell knives, so if you’re planning to buy a new knife and if you don’t want to step out, call them up and they can display the knife board on the front end of the cycle that has a variety of kitchen knives.

One cannot deny the efficiency of Mumbai dabbawallahs and last year when I wrote the Pulse of Mumbai Series, Mumbai Dabbawallahs (the lunch box delivery man), I wrote about how they make use of bicycles to reach their destinations and get the delivery done on time. I urge my readers, if you have missed this post, do read it here and you’ll be surprised to know how a massive food delivery network that handles millions of daily food delivery transactions without a single piece of paper can put sophisticated supply chain management system to shame.

If that’s not all, let me tell you that bicycles are still everywhere across India from rural areas, small towns, and sophisticated urban cities. Most people in the cities choose monthly milk delivery subscription.

This means that a milkman comes to their home with a container of milk and will deliver the required amount of fresh milk. These milk guys usually prefer to make use of bicycles to go from one block to another with milk containers hung on the rear side of the bicycles.

You even find oven-fresh bread and eggs being delivered and sold on bicycles across the city. These guys usually cannot afford a store, so they convert their bicycles into an on-the-go store and they usually park their bicycles at crossroads or prime locations where they can get more customers. This way they also get to move locations, if they don’t find customers in a certain area or block.

Bicycles are also used by vendors that sell snack items like idlis, samosas, vadas, medu vadas, tea, coffee, ice creams and kulfis. They are also used by delivery people to deliver small and large appliances and goods. In various cities across North India, man-powered bicycle rickshaws are used as a mode of transport. Below, you’ll see how bicycles are used in various ways across India.

Man-Powered Bicycle Rickshaw in Rajasthan

Cycles in India are almost everywhere, you’ll find them the moment you step on the road. From kids to small size business owner, everybody loves to own a bicycle, because it offers an efficient and affordable way to get from Point A to B. It is low maintenance and requires no fuel. I am passionate about bicycles and I had my own, but, one fine Sunday morning in 1996, I met a horrible accident with a car and I broke my nose, injured my shoulder and knees. My bicycle was badly damaged and that was the end of it. However, my passion for bicycles ignites deep within my heart and it also shows in the way I wrote this post with utmost joy and excitement. I think the bicycle is the best mode of transport ever.