Return of the bicycles (BY S.SALIMKUMAR)

 cycle...cycle 

 PAINTING BY MATT TALBERT

Bicycles to capture the world again .  So the chances of another classic film is round the corner, The Bicycle Thief . People all over the world now seriously thinking about bicycles, as the oil and gas prices  are  rocketing.  But alas!  cycles are now the instruments of terrorist outfits to facilitate their blasts.  Cycles are cheap, can enter any crowded area and need no paperworks to purchase.  There was a time when  licence  was compulsory to  own a cycle.   Again it is  thinking  time for authorities to  apply the same, so that the government can grab a   revenue and database of cycle owners.  But the doubt is that a bicycle thief can stole a cycle and can use it for his  blasting purposes, the owner of the bicycle will be arrested, trialled and jailed. Never will the world  can exist without bicycles.   It is the wonderful vehicle ever invented which run on balance only .  No other vehicle can claim such a wonderful ride than the cycle. Cycle represent the ordinary people. The speed  is created  and controlled by physical capacity. Cycling is the best known exercise for the health of the body (and mind).While you do cycling, you see the world differently.  You can see it everywhere in the world as the  vehicle of common people. Postmen and  other people engaged in delivering   things  still use cycle.   In the seventies, somebody  invented a motor for cycle, which is run by petrol and the mileage was about 100 km per litre.  But it came and gone the motor for ordinary cycle.  One who are enthusiastic to ride cycle  still need the pedalling as it costs nothing  than the obesity and bad health.   Gains are many such as good health and relaxation of mind, if not done over ride.

Once I  used to ride cycle all over my village and surroundings as a newspaperboy.  It was a great experience, I  am among   the rare people of our the village  because I was riding a cycle.  At that only five or six cycles were at our village having a polpulation of about 1500. and that cycle was not min, that was of the news paper agent, for whom i had worked. Once I was returning from my job of circulating newspapers. In the bend of the road,  uncle of my father, stopped me and told, give me your cycle, I want to go to the village shop to buy some cattle feed.  I was surprised as that man was of about 90 years old. I  have given him the cycle not only because he is the brother of my grandgfather, but  I appreciated his enthusiasm to ride the cycle.  That is the magic of cycle, that if once you learn to ride cycle, you can never escape from the  temptation of cycle riding.

Now also the postmen, newspaper hawkers and factory workers use bicycles as their vehicle. Children are the other class of cycle users.  But they transfer to motor vehicles when they grow and throw the cycle permanently.  Even if they want to ride the cycle during their age after twenties, their social status and ego not allow them to ride the poor cycle.  As the major population of the world are poor and not accessible to oil powered vehicles, they choose cycle as their friend.  India and China are the major producers of cycles, but in India use of cycles are declining, as the middle class is attracted to the loan facilities for buying motor cycles. They are trapped by the manufacturers and financiers. And cycle is not a status symbol no more for the people. But the ego less  people   want to ride the cycle.  One who    started   riding motorbikes and cars are not expected to return to cycles, till their retirement, as in retirement money to buy oil or gas is a hurdle. So the old people and poor fellows of third world will ride the cycle.  By that only they can control their health and money  problems. But the threat is from terrorists, as they love bicycles as their pet instrument to carry explosives unnoticed.Now the investigating agencies  have a doubtful eye on every cyclists   at any part of the street. But so much of strength is not with the forces to keep eye on each and every cyclists.  intellegence agencies are not so intellegent as it seems from the happenings of blasts at Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. 

Terrorists' love to cycles will cost dearly to the ordinary people of India. Many of them cannot use cycles, especially in cities as they will come under the scanner of security agencies. Return of the cycles to the new age has its own hectic problems.  The oil  sellers can keep the cyclists at bay to force them to use other two wheelers  like motor bikes, which is only a dream to the majority of cyclists in India.