Bicycles are disappearing but who is loosing?

It was an unpleasant surprise for Prakash when he enquired his uncle about his old bicycle, which he used to ride during his college days. In just one sigh, memories fluttered back and he was recalling the days when he used to go to his school and visit his local bazaar to collect groceries. During college vacations the bicycle was his favourite companion for arranging his meetings with school friends and dear ones in neighboring villages. Still, he was wondering why his uncle sold his bicycle to a scrap dealer.

   Graduating from a reputed campus, he got admission on full scholarship to a Dutch university. After leaving his motherland in 2008, he got accustomed to the culture of this new country. Initially, it was strange for him that people consider the bicycle as an essential part of their daily life. Although they have personal cars with a spectrum of amenities in addition to a well-planned public transport system, they still rely on this traditional, environment-friendly, healthy and handy transportation medium. His university, a public place has access to different strata across societies and people proudly bike around 10 km without any hesitation and of course the bike here does not represent the social divide unlike India.

Bikers have separate biking tracks side by side with all major highways. On smaller roads, there is a separate biking lane to ensure security and exclusivity to the bikers. On crossings without a traffic light, bikers have preferences over all other transport mediums and obligated by law to give a way to bikers. Close to bigger shopping malls, colleges, hospitals and all other public access center; there is a separate parking place for bikers. As a result, it has become from a convenient commuting medium to Dutch cultural identity. Moreover, it has a positive effect on oil-import bills, obesity and sugar problems and most importantly it has increased the commuting speed of the people in an economical and environment-friendly manner.

 In India with a vibrant automobile market; small cars are available at affordable prices and interestingly, it has influenced the moderately well doing families to change their transport mode. The Bicycle, which used to be most preferred means of transportation has replaced by motorbikes.  Not only this, riding a bicycle is thought to be a starving poor man’s job.

 Isn’t it startling? On one hand petroleum reserves are depleting day by day but we are increasing our dependence on petroleum products instead of economizing its use. Secondly, the rupee is devaluing and every educated Indian has an idea that Indian domestic petroleum consumption largely depends upon imports which costs in US dollars. Just for records one Dollar was equivalent 39.89 INR on April 16, 2008, which rose to 51.67 on April 16, 2012. Hence, the other high-tech goods such as medical equipments are getting costlier which directly affects the same middle class who can afford treatment at a reasonable price.

Entrenched with the necessity of a bike in a middle-class family, Prakash approached his clerk’s (munim’s) house to borrow his bicycle for evening groceries. Finally, he decided to buy a bicycle and spread this message of utility of a bicycle.