BICYCLE TIMES

"BICYCLE TIMES"

HERCULES, the sturdy bicycle, cost about twenty eight rupees in nineteen thirties That would be about six dollars or two British pounds of those days. They were "MADE IN ENGLAND". There were other brand names roo.

The days of  British raj in India were the salad days for manufacturers in England. India was (in MBA language) a captive market - an assured big market.

So most cars  were British make. And all the bicycles too. The cars were usually small - Morris, Austin or Hillman. There were a few noisy T-model fords too. The  rich were still maintaining Tumtums (closed horse-drawn box carriages) until late forties. For others there were Tongas for hire.  The poor used cheaper uncomfortable Ekkas (jhatka). Cycle rikshaw became common only in the fifties.

The rich and the common men both kept a bicycle, usually a Hercules.   Our dashing young family doctor (ex)Capt. Sinha used to come to our house in a shining dark green  bike complete with a dynamo electric  light, a deluxe bell, a pump and a full chain cover. It was a treat to watch his noiseless shining dark green bike reflecting the Sun's rays as it came along crunching the red-gravel over our driveway.

As a kid I learnt cycling on a bike that my father had acquired in early thirties as a student. Lot of others too used this sturdy bike to learn cycling. As a kid, short in height, it was difficult for me to mount the seat. So I used to do what was popularly known as KAINCHI (scissors) style paddling. The right leg was put across the main frame to get to the right paddle.

The first time I found balance and got moving continuously without falling was a magic  "Newton's apple" moment of discovery! Riding a bike then became fun and freedom!!

The most coveted jobs were in the government. The luckier ones got into state civil service - PCS in short. These PCS chaps were the "brown sahibs"- they acquired decent tweed coats, three piece suits, a tennis maxply racquet, a better brand of cigarettes, the best quality  "Sola hats" (photo) and a well maintained new  bicycle. When  world war second started, petrol became scarce and bicycles even more popular - for office, clubs and everywhere.

The best brand of cigarettes was 555 State Express. Gold Flake came next. The middle class smoked Scissor's  or cavender's in packs of ten. Panama cigarettes in pack of twenty came later. Poor people smoked Bidi, the most popular brand being "Pahalwan chhap bidi".  Almost all adult males were smokers. They smoked inside the cinema halls too! All cinema halls had proper bicycle stands where one could deposit the bicycle for safe keeping while watching a film in the cinena hall. Money saved in transportation went up  in smoke!

"Sahibs" in British days were of two species - the brown ( Indian) and the white (British). Different food, different cultures, different lifestyle, different clubs. But both species had two things in common - the now forgotten sola hats and the british bicycle.The Sola hats kept the head cool in the fierce summer months.

Lot of stories have been woven around the Sahibs and their styles of rule. Books such as in the link below will take you back into those times:

https://books.google.co.in/books/about/The_Men_Who_Ruled_India.html?id=w4zTPQAACAAJ&redir_esc=y

For people moving up in social ladder a club was a must. Clubs had tennis courts, billiards rooms, playing cards tables etc. and ofcourse a cafetaria. A play corner for kids with merry go round, seesaw, slide-downs etc. was also usually there. In the portico area of clubs one could spot an Austin, a Morris or a Hillman car and a plethora of bicycles - all british made.

That was 'once upon a time'. . . . . ! Those were the bicycle times. No smog. No noise. Fresh air. A clear night sky where you could locate "Orion Hunters" or even "The Kite" constellations on a moonless night.

It is good to see that  bicycles are again coming back into fashion.  There are now  designer bikes too for the rich. Separate bicycle lanes are being laid down in many cities to encourage safe cycling. May be, the days of less automobiles and more bicycles will follow. "Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars" and the glow worms (fireflies) will then come back once again!