Amid the ongoing pandemic and subsequent lockdown last year, we witnessed how India's pollution level went down. Among the other things that affect the well-being of a healthy environment is the emission from vehicles that run on oil. However, bicycles, compared to other vehicles, are simple, do not require oil to function (hence zero-emission), sustainable, convenient, environment friendly, and healthy. There are people in bigger cities who ditch their cars and cycles to work to run errands. Many back home, including celebrities back home have also been doing it.
On World Bicycle Day today the celebs share a childhood memory of their first bicycle and also encourage people to use this mode of transport as much as possible.
Mrunal Jain
My childhood memories will be incomplete if I don’t talk about how I learnt to ride a bicycle. It was for us our key to freedom; we could go anywhere we wanted to on a cycle. I remember falling down a number of times and of course, injuring my hands and knees but I was too happy to learn than give up. I got my first cycle when I was around 10. Owning a cycle was an achievement during those times. We didn’t realize how healthy cycling was back then. Even now I devote at least an hour to cycling every day as there are no gym workouts happening. Cycling on a regular basis helps me stay in shape. It creates zero pollution and is, therefore, environment-friendly. I just hope we use more of this mode of transport in the coming times.
Arun Mandola
One of my fondest childhood memories of riding a cycle was when I finally mastered the art of balancing. As a child I could never imagine how that is possible, how people did that. My father taught me how to ride a bicycle. I fell down several times and hurt myself. Cycling to the nearby grocery shop to buy essentials or competing with friends as who is the fastest on wheels made us feel victorious. In foreign countries there are cycle tracks for those who use that mode of transport, I wish to see that all over India. We can actually reach our nearby destinations by cycling via those tracks. Along with reducing pollution levels, this will also help in easing traffic congestion.
Prateik Chaudhary
As a child, learning to ride a bicycle was the biggest challenge for me and once I could I felt no less than a king. I used to take care of my cycle, clean it every day. My cycle was like my friend and a part of my family. Nurturing it with machine oil and towel to make it shine now and then was my favourite activity. Bicycles can be used to travel from one place to another and is the easiest and eco-friendly mode of transportation. I wish India to have more cycle tracks and hope more and more people use them on a daily basis to reduce pollution and traffic congestion. Cycling evokes positive feelings and is an easy exercise as well.
