By Ashutosh Pande
CEO & Founder, BAJAAO.com
In truly retrograde progression, I have moved from commuting in an SUV to a motorcycle, and finally to a bicycle over the past eight years of my professional career. My first four-wheeler was a Tata Sierra, which was really useful for shunting around the products we sold, and great for road trips. When it caught fire – story will appear elsewhere – I interpreted it as a sign from the universe to shift to two wheels and also reduce my carbon footprint. I bought a Hero Honda Karizma, which was simply the best city bike available at the time. It was a faithful companion for over five years, but had to make way for something even more special. I used to pass by a sports shop in Andheri West and one particular bicycle had been catching my eye each time – as if calling out to me. I entered the store on a whim one day six months ago and after 30 minutes of intense negotiation, was the proud owner of a BTwin Riverside 3 – a beautiful hybrid bicycle admirably suited to Mumbai roads. I cycled twice a week in Aarey Garden with a friend, but stopped a couple of months later because going all the way to Goregaon simply wasn’t sustainable. Cycling was eating into my hectic work schedule and I began to think about pedalling to work since my office is around five kilometres from my residence. Initially I was hesitant and wondered whether it would seem unusual for the director of a company to enter a business centre on a cycle. However, I silenced the inner demons and decided to do it anyway. A week went by and I had been ignoring my bicycle every morning, and taking my motorbike to work. Realizing that drastic measures were necessary, I called up my oldest employee and told him his dreams had come true – he’d been eyeing my Karizma for a while now and kept suggesting that I buy a car befitting my stature. I told him the bike was his and he’d find the key on my desk. It’s been three months since I began cycling to work and back every day and I’m hooked. I am now on the way to having a near-zero carbon footprint, I’m smoking a lot less, my energy levels are higher, and my stomach is flat again. Only a cyclist truly understands and appreciates the mysterious force of gravity, as there’s always a reward for every climb. The pitfalls are the constant threats of being crushed by public transport buses or trucks, and dealing with the fact that the humble cycle is definitely at the bottom of the vehicular food chain. Even a dog won’t give way to a cycle. Songs streaming from Jango into my Phiaton wireless noise cancelling in-ears headphones, I don’t really care about anything as I zip through the streets of Andheri knowing that I‘m immune to traffic congestion and can hop off and waltz through signals. And every time I see a fellow cyclist commuting to work – which is increasing with every passing week – there’s usually a moment of silent camaraderie, a nod of understanding and appreciation. Choosing a BTwin Riverside 3 over a BMW X1 may have its drawbacks – I’ll probably never get married – but I have a hunch it could be worth it.
Feedback: ashu@bajaao.com
