TRAVELLING IN PUNE - Then and Now

TRAVELLING IN PUNE - Then and Now
A Punekar Walks Down Memory Lane
By
VIKRAM KARVE

I wrote a series of articles a couple of years back on the Pune of Yesteryear  

Yesterday, I had a harrowing time driving in the chaotic traffic and I recalled this piece I wrote titled CYCLE TOWN PUNE harking back to memories of the 1960s and 1970s when Pune was known as the Cycle Capital of India. 

I am sure you will enjoy these reminiscences, and maybe this will tempt you to  hark back to your good old days too.

Please do let me know if you liked this article and comment – I look forward to your feedback.

A PUNEKAR WALKS DOWN MEMORY LANE

CYCLE TOWN PUNE

A Memoir

By

VIKRAM KARVE

When I was a small boy (in the 1960’s), and later in the 1970’s, we used to cycle all over Pune. 

Pune was a Cycle-Town and it was known as the Cycle Capital of India as Pune had the maximum number of cycles.

But with the advent and proliferation of scooters, this honour was taken over by Delhi and Pune became the Scooter Capital of India.

Let’s hark back to the 1960s and talk about Cycle Town Pune. 

Those days 90% of the vehicles on the roads were Bicycles.

You could see a few Scooters zipping by and once in a while an Ambassador or Fiat Car would appear on the roads.

Auto-rickshaws were beginning to make their appearance and the PMT Bus was the second-most popular mode of transportation after the cycle. 

If you do not believe me you just watch the scene in Sangam (1964) where Raj Kapoor can be seen merrily cycling down Jangli Maharaj Road (then known as 80 Feet Road – the widest road in Pune those days).

As I said, in those days, Pune was a cycle town. 

You just picked up your bicycle and went wherever you wanted to.

Today, I dare not try to cycle on the roads of Pune, unless I want to land up in a hospital with my bones broken or worse still in the morgue with my body crushed to pulp.

There is just no place for the poor cyclist in the murderous traffic or Pune. 

In fact, the only place you can cycle are on the cycle-lanes on those small stretches of the BRTS routes which thankfully have still not been encroached upon (of course, even here you risk being knocked down by a motorcyclist) or you can pedal away on those obscure cycle-tracks which take you nowhere.

Now-a-days, for most young Punekars, cycling is a hobby, a sport, a recreation, a “passion”, an “environment friendly” thing to do; those days cycling was the primary means of transportation.

That’s why today you have all types of fancy bikes (which cost the roof) which people want to show off as “status symbols” whenever they get off their expensive limousines and take a rare bike ride wearing funny outfits and contraptions like gloves, helmets et al.

There are Terrain Bikes, Sports Bikes, BMX Bikes, Racing Bikes, all sorts of hybrid combinations, which look good but are most uncomfortable to ride. 

Sometime ago I took a long ride on a youngster’s MTB and got such a pain in my you-know-where that I thought I had got hernia.

In my younger days, it was not snob appeal but utility value that governed the design of bicycles.

The predominant cycle those days was what is called the “Roadster” in bicycle parlance. 

The Roadster was a utility bicycle designed for practical transportation unlike the fancy bikes of today primarily designed for recreation and showing-off. 

The Roadster was designed for Occupational Commuting and was designed to give you a comfortable ride.

As I said, those days you did not ride a bike to burn calories.

A cycle was a means of transportation and you commuted from one place to another on a cycle. 

Of course, fitness was a by-product, as in my college days I used to cycle about 20 Kilometres every day breathing fresh unpolluted air and this was healthy exercise. 

We cycled in our normal clothes and not in “biking wear” and that’s why the Roadster had proper mudguards and chain guards to keep it clean. In addition to comfort, the qualities we looked for were sturdiness, durability and endurance.

A cycle was a permanent long term acquisition, not a “use and throw” item.

Well, today you may not find the humble Roadster displayed along with those fancy fashionable bikes in those high-falutin Cycle Malls in Pune.

But if you look on the roads, you will see that the redoubtable Roadster is still going strong.

And if you care to go to the mofussil you will see that this humble Roadster Cycle is still the predominant mode of transportation. 

If you go to those good old cycle marts in Budhwar Peth you will see that these unpretentious bikes are still selling in plenty.

There were no “kiddie or children’s bikes” to pamper us.

We learnt how to cycle the hard way on the hardy adult roadster bikes which entailed many falls and bruises, including one on my forehead, the scar of which is prominently visible even today.

I learnt how to cycle when I was seven or eight but I got my first cycle in 1968, on my 12^th Birthday. 

Until then I used to hire a bike on an hourly basis from one of the many “Cycle Marts” that adorned almost every street corner of Pune or manage a ride my uncle’s cycle whenever he was not using it.

The moment it was announced that I would be getting a bike as a birthday gift, I was very excited.

My friends and I started our market survey.

Which cycle did I want?

There were so many brands to choose from. 

At the top end was the matchless Humber the prized crème de la crème brand from Raleigh Cycles. 

The Humber Men’s Roadster had a unique double-fork, a duplex fork design which had two tubes for absorbing shocks better, and a frictionless chain for a smooth ride.

Owing to all these refinements, the Humber Cycle gave you the ultimate in riding comfort.

Now my Dad had given me a budget of Rs. 200 and the Humber which cost around 400 bucks was out of the question, as were other premium brands of cycles like Raleigh, Rudge, Buke and BSA.

So I had to choose from Hercules, Phillips, Hind Superb, Hero, Eastern Star, Avon or Atlas.

At first I wanted to buy a Phillips Cycle which looked very handsome and had embossed on its badge its famous motto: “Renowned the World Over”.

But the dealer insisted that I try the latest model of Atlas (which he claimed was sturdy, comfortable, had the best bearings, long lasting, economical and ideal for a student like me).

So I took a “test ride” and acquired an Atlas Cycle for the princely sum of a hundred and eight rupees (yes, Rs. 180 only).

I fitted my bike with a dynamo and light (for night riding), a bell, a carrier and a sleek stand, and as I rode my brand new shining black Atlas cycle I felt on top of the world.

This Atlas Cycle rendered yeoman’s service (like I said I cycled about 20 kilometers every day) and accompanied me all over on my cycling trips, including one touring UP and Bihar where we just carried our cycles in the second class train compartment, got down wherever we wanted and cycled away for our sightseeing and caught a train again at the nearest station. No one dared to ask any questions because we were “students”.

I used my rugged Atlas Cycle for over fifteen years and it was still going strong when I gave it away to a needy student (this redoubtable bike was fully  operational when I last saw it in the year 1998).

Soon I bought a brand new Hero Cycle for around three hundred bucks which I used for cycling all around town whenever I came to Pune on my weekend trips or holidays from Mumbai where my ship was based. 

Though I had a scooter by then which I used for “family” outings, I still rode my bike for my solitary travels in Pune.

Unfortunately my newly acquired wife refused to ride double-seat with me (à la Dev Anand and Mumtaz in Tere Mere Sapne) though she rode a ladies cycle herself in college.

By the way, riding double-seat and without a light at night were traffic offences.

If a cop caught you without a light at night or riding double-seat on your bike, he would deflate your tyres as punishment and you would have to walk all the way dragging your cycle along.

There was cycle-stands all over, in cinemas, at railway stations, and till the 1980s.

The bicycle was still the most popular mode of transportation in Pune since distances were not that much and then the traffic was not that heavy. 

But gradually, scooters were slowly taking over as people were increasingly in a hurry to get wherever they wanted to go.

I quit cycling in Pune sometime in the end 1980s because cycling had become increasingly unsafe.

The traffic situation in Pune had become quite bad.

Heavy vehicles, buses, cars and scooters ruled the roost.

And after a few close shaves in the dangerous traffic, I decided to stop cycling on the streets of Pune.

Cycling keeps you healthy. 

Cycling also keeps you stress-free.

Those days, as I cycled to college or work, the physical effort while cycling helped remove my stress, unlike driving a car or scooter in the chaotic traffic of Pune which drives you crazy.

Almost everyone cycled to school and college, and to work and back, all the way from the heart of Pune City even to far-off places like the factories in Khadki and beyond.

Cycling was a healthy affordable way of commuting.

Yes, cycling was primarily a means of travel, and not a competition sport or a means of working out for exercise as it is now. 

Of course, exercise was a byproduct of cycling. 

I have decided to relive those good old days. 

So I am going to get myself a cycle – yes, a old-style standard roadster bike – maybe I’ll try a good old tried and tested Hercules Hero or Atlas Standard Roadmaster Cycle this time. 

Only thing is that I will have to find a road to cycle on, besides a BRTS track nearby. 

I eagerly await the BRTS in Wakad so all of us can cycle down the bicycle track as people do on the BRTS route on Satara Road near Bibwewadi.

Unfortunately, most cycle tracks in Pune have been encroached upon by shops, stalls, garages, parked vehicles etc, and it is difficult and dangerous to ride your cycle on these tracks.

It seems that the traffic police and municipal authorities want to discourage citizens from using bicycles to commute and travel, since the cops and ward officers do not ensure unobstructed and well maintained cycle tracks.

There are many IT Techies who want to cycle to work in Hinjewadi but cannot do so due to the absence of safe cycle tracks. 

Most are afraid to cycle on the main road due to fear of accidents, since it is dangerous to ride a cycle on the main road in the fast moving traffic.

In the mornings and in the evenings I watch the serpentine traffic moving at snail’s pace on the Wakad Hinjewadi Road.

In theory, the cycle tracks exist, but in practice they are not usable.

What a terrible waste of time, effort and fuel resources!

I wonder how different things would have been if everyone rode bicycles to work like in yesteryear Pune. 

We would have a more healthy, unpolluted and stress-free Pune.

And most importantly, if people are encouraged to use cycles for transportation, so much petrol and diesel would be saved and this would certainly help to reduce our import bill which will bolster the falling rupee.

Cycling seems to be a Win-Win situation.

But then who wants to “win”? 

We seem to be happy to be a bunch of losers!

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2013

Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. 

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

NB:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2013 all rights reserved

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About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional  and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

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