The Rupee has depreciated significantly in the past few months; and even though the government is trying to do their best, what can WE do to save the Rupee?
My solution- Cycling . India imports goods and services and exports goods and services; but the majority of our country’s forex reserves are spent on crude oil(Rs. 6,72,220 Crore in the financial yr 2011-12 according to Press information Bureau, Govt. of India).
Since cycles do not require any fossil fuel to run, it will reduce our country’s oil consumption significantly.
What if a huge chunk of India’s population started cycling (for commuting to work) ?
- It will reduce road accidents as people will ride cycles (at slow speeds). India witnessed 4,97,000 road accidents in 2011(current figures not available), which led to a death toll of 1,42,000 that year. India spends about 20 Billion Dollars annually due to road accidents.
- Drunken driving will become drunken riding. The headlines will read ‘Rich businessman’s teen son rams cycle into pedestrian at 20 kmph- victim suffers a scratch !! It will save many lives and will leave a few with broken bones and some bruises.
- The cops wont catch you for speeding, jumping the signal, not wearing the seat belt, not getting your PUC checked, etc. Will reduce bribery in our country !
- The government wont need to fill the potholes every year; the ride to work will become an adventure ride !
- For entrepreneurs, cycling will help them save on the huge amount of capital cost of buying a car. it will lead to the following financial benefits- ZERO running cost, negligible maintenance cost, no insurance cost, no gym fee and reduced health insurance premium: MORE MONEY FOR YOUR VENTURE.
- Everyone will have rocking bodies.
- For those who are too busy to exercise; cycling to work serves the dual purpose of commutation and exercise hence saving time.
- You can impress Mr. Sumant Mandal by cycling to work. according to researchers interviewees having similar interests as that of the interviewer have a better chance of being hired, or in this case entrepreneurs have a better chance of getting funded by VC’s. For those who dont know , Mr Sumant Mandal cycles to work. ( I didnt come to know about this until recently, when Alok sir pointed it out at the Open House.)
- With less resources (steel) required to manufacture cycles, the TATA group will have with them more steel to export. With the Dollars earned they can go on and buy Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche etc.
- There are those moments (for guys) where you have your wife/girlfriend giving you directions and telling you how to drive… WONT happen on a cycle.
- No traffic jams. With more space on roads, traffic jams will be a thing of the past.(BTW if you have travelled on days when there are auto rickshaw strikes, especially in Mumbai, you will know what bliss it is !!)
- Cycling will reduce air and noise pollution considerably.
- It will solve our parking problems !! with cycles occupying very less space, there will be no long searches for parking spots.
- Along with the pro’s there are a few cons too. The first one being perspiration and body odour. But according to me thats a pro; coz when you start to stink, just apply some axe deodorant and you will have people chasing you. the second con is the ease with which your cycle can get stolen if parked on the street.
- I would like to dispel 1 myth about cycling that 1 cannot cycle long distances. with new improved and high tech cycles coming in, 1 can easily cycle distances of 20-25 kms per day everyday without much effort. it takes me about 20 minutes to travel from Juhu to Mahim during non-peak hours. during peak hours it may take 10 to 15 minutes more.
One of the reasons as to why China is ahead of India is that a majority of its population cycles !!! China has now started buying imported cars and look at its economy now… from double digit growth to single digit.
Scotland is one country where a lot of CEO’s cycle to work.
It may not be practical for everyone to cycle to work. Those having a distance of 10 kms and less between their home and office can easily cycle without any strenuous effort. one may even stretch it to 13-14 kms once they become consistent. It will take an approx. time of 45 minutes to cycle 10kms which may be 15 to 20 minutes more than a car might take.
The most important of all, cycling brings a wide smile to your face. the joy of cycling can not be described in words.
So I hope that you are convinced; because if not, then our government is there to convince you by raising fuel prices every now and then.
I am a student (looking to pursue higher education in supply chain management) and cycle regularly.I wrote this post to promote cycling not only as a hobby but also as a practical means to commute to work.I cycled to the Mumbai Open House to give a small speech to promote cycling( which I couldnt complete because of stage freight; but Alok sir saved me by putting in some points of his own and supporting me, for which I am very thankful to him. He told me to enter the auditorium cycling and there wouldnt be any need to speak, and that the chief guest Mr. Sumant Mandal also cycles to work)
As a student of logistics and supply chain, I find it absolutely ridiculous seeing 1 person sitting in a car meant to carry 5 + persons and meant to be driven at speeds of 100kmph + when one can easily cover an approx. distance of about 13 to 14 kms effortlessly in 1 hour without spending a single rupee and in the process saving the environment.
One last and very important point- Cycling is banned in Kolkatta. Yes; our Mamata didi has banned cycling in Kolkatta saying that cyclists congest the roads and cause traffic jam, which I find to be completely absurd. Its not just the hobbyists, but the doodhwala, newspaper guy and many others whole life depend on the cycle are being affected by this decision. those who are caught riding cycles on the streets of Kolkatta will be fined. please help to stop this madness and give a miscall on this toll free number 01166579047 . Its the least you can do to lift this ban.
P.S. : For all your queries related to cycling you can log on to www.cyclists.in . Its a community for cyclists in India. AND
I wrote this post to promote cycling. saving the rupee is not my job, its the job of the finance minister, R.B.I. governor, etc. and because the title ‘start cycling’ didnt seem as interesting.
