A Call for Strike

To
Chairman
Auto-Rikshaw Union
Mumbai


Subject: Rikshaw Strike


Dear Sir,


This is a humble request for keeping a one day Auto-RIkshaw strike in Mumbai. The CNG fares have increased and the government has not increased the Auto fares. This is injustice, go fight for it! Don’t ply your rikshaws on the road. 


Mumbai is a wonderful place to travel with no rikshaws, all roads clear, no bottlenecks. Try to take the Taxi drivers with you in the strike, then whole of Mumbai will be a better driving place. Last time around, me and my friends went for an amazing long drive during the strike. There was never a better day for driving in Mumbai. 


My apologies for people who do not drive in a car or bike, but I guess they can manage for a day and take a day off and enjoy or roam around in their friend’s cars. Sometimes, it’s better waiting for a bus rather than asking 10 Auto drivers for nearby fares and then you ppl saying no.


Last time, I went to Pune, there was a rikshaw strike for 5 days. Why is the Mumbai Union lagging so far behind. Very few strikes, that’s not good for your reputation. The last strike was long time ago. Inflation has increased, prices of commodities are steep, meter’s have been manipulated to the maximum extent possible, people’s salaries around you have increased, why should you suffer. Plus you can have a day off from work. 


I am sure you would pay heed to this advice and go on a strike as soon as possible. Afterall, it’s for your benefit.

Motorcyle diary

It was late at night and I was driving back home on my bike on the S.V. Road. The road was largely empty with cool breeze blowing. I love riding the bike at night, no signals, no traffic, good weather et al.

A guy was riding a Bajaj Discover alongside my bike and an empty truck with speed of around 60 kmph was behind us. I usually give way when high speed vehicles are behind, but at that time, I was in no mood to let someone overtake. Neither was the guy on the Discover.

I remember exactly what happened next. This guy looked into the mirror to see how fast the truck was approaching. While doing this, the front wheel of his bike got stuck in a pothole, he applied brakes; the back tyre did a little wheelie, while the truck was still approaching with fairly the same speed. I took my bike to the side of the road, turned to the mirror praying for the biker. He pulled his leg out from under the bike and took an incredible 5 feet long jump. Next moment, the bike was thrashed by the truck.

In 3 years of my driving, I’ve seen people die in accidents, people severely injured, badly crashed cars, lots of bikes skidding in the first rain, but I have never seen such a miraculous escape. This was the best real life stunt that I’ve ever come across. The description seems like one of Akshay Kumar’s movie scenes, except that it is highly predictable with Akshay in it. Our life is no movie. Trust me; you would never want to see such a thing in real life.

I stopped my bike; the truck driver had driven away without stopping, nobody was around. The biker lay on the footpath, absolutely numb, cold as a rock, not knowing how to react, wondering how he came out of all this. His body was shaking and couldn’t speak for couple of minutes, eyes filled with tears. He couldn’t believe that instead of being in a pool of blood, he was in a pool of petrol which came out of the broken tank of the bike.

2 very different types of people live in this world. One who cannot bear the troubles in their lives, succumb to them and commit suicide and the other kind, who are ready to put themselves through all kinds of trouble just to be alive.

Moments like these make you realize how precious life is.

It's all about the bike !

I pass by my school every day. A lot has changed since the time I left. Changed for the better I guess. But this one change really saddens me. It's the barricade of cycles, which is missing from the picture.

I remember the days when I rode to school on a bicycle. Not many of my friends used this mode of transportation for school, but it was a joy ride in the morning. Some 20-30 cycles were aligned outside our school compound. Now there are none!

I still cherish the long bicycle races with colony friends, travelling from Cinemax to Aarey Colony and then New Zealand Hostel. All this for a small treat, the loser would pay for all the Vada Pavs. After that, riding down the slopes of New Zealand hostel at very high speeds with the wind rushing into our faces. As I write this I really want to go there now. Sometimes we would race to Aksa beach through a narrow road, fast moving vehicles, putting ourselves into trouble, getting outta trouble. The narrow bruises, the minor accidents, the high speed skids, still so fresh.

The picture today is sad, really sad. The only people I see riding the bicycle are doodhwala, pav-wala, anda-wala and restaurant delivery guys or small children till the age of 10. It is a pity that cycle drivers are seen as people who cannot afford a bike or a car. Cycle racing enthusiasts are also very rare. The sport is dying in India, rather cycling is dying in India. Also cycling is something just for guys here I guess. It’s been more than 2 years since I’ve seen a girl ride a cycle, which was my sister btw. Why don’t you apply ‘Why Should Boys have all the fun?’ funda to this case too! This also reminds me, where are all the Hero cycles, Hercules top gear, Lady Bird advertisements that were running on TV channels few years back?

Few days back, I happened to visit the local cycle shop. The guy at the counter recognized me and asked where all my friends are. He says his business has gone down drastically and the only selling bikes are small kiddy bicycles. That’s when I think, it’s people like me who have left cycling are the reason for which this guy is losing grip in his business. I still recollect the sad the day I sold my bicycle. I left cycling in 11^th standard because no-one of my age was driving the cycle anymore. I cared too much about what people would think and that my friends would laugh at me. I regret my decision now; regret the reasons why I took the decision.

The society’s outlook towards cycling is not encouraging, but I feel I shouldn’t have cared. Riding to Tembu dam 8 kms near my hometown on a bike was one of the most entertaining aspect of our college group's trip last year. So was the ride on the streets of Berlin dedicated exclusively for cycles. I am certainly going to buy a cycle once I get my job and drive it, not caring about anyone saying anything. I’ll also try to complete 100 km a day ride near Karjat in the next vacation, hopefully with friends.

B’coz it is all about about the bike....