In recent times, we have been suffering from the official but unannounced blockade imposed by our neighbouring nation India. There is an acute shortage of petroleum products in the country. Our daily life has been severely affected by the lack of vehicles plying on the roads.
Recently, when I was talking to one of my foreign friends and complaining about the transportation problem that I had been facing as a resident of Kathmandu, he asked me about the size of the city. I replied that it was a very small city. “Why you don’t use cycles then?” he inquired. And as I started typing the reply, I realised that I had no reasonable answer to his query. I didn’t dare to say that people of Kathmandu think that they feel inferior to others if they ride cycles.
Yes, it’s the bitter truth that Kathmandu faces. If most of my friends come to the college in motorbikes, I don’t dare to buy and ride a cycle to my college thinking that I would be humiliated in my college. What if they name me ‘Cycle-man’ or something even worse? I would not want to lose my respect for the sake of conserving fuel and environment. In Kathmandu, people think you ride a cycle only if you can’t afford a bike. Now, how would I give him an answer?
Actually, Kathmandu is a very small city. It’s not like you have to travel 30-40 kilometres to reach your college or workplace. Most of the residents of Kathmandu can reach their workplace within 30 minutes of cycling. We don’t need to visit places like Europe to learn about cycling. We only have to visit the Tarai to understand that cycling is all right. There, most people don’t use motor vehicles to travel just a few kilometres. And there, people are not deemed inferior just because they are riding cycles. In fact, having a number of cycles in the house is often a matter of pride.
Maybe it’s time to change the way we think, and delink cycles from this notion of inferiority. People have to take the initiative to use and promote cycling. I know no one wants to be the first person to be insulted. Perhaps it’s time that offices promoted some days of the week as ‘Cycle day’, when the employee must compulsorily ride a cycle to their office. I have heard that some organisations in Kathmandu have started this and it should be followed by others as well.
Cycling not only saves petroleum and helps in conserving the environment, but it also keeps you physically active and reduces the excess fat from your body. Except for the maximum speed attainable, motorbikes have no added advantages over bicycles. And in the streets of Kathmandu, I don’t think motorbikes have that advantage, anyway. So, from any point of view, cycles are perfect for Kathmandu—not only to help us tide over this time of crisis, but also at all other times. Let’s promote cycling and keep the environment and ourselves healthy.
Recently, when I was talking to one of my foreign friends and complaining about the transportation problem that I had been facing as a resident of Kathmandu, he asked me about the size of the city. I replied that it was a very small city. “Why you don’t use cycles then?” he inquired. And as I started typing the reply, I realised that I had no reasonable answer to his query. I didn’t dare to say that people of Kathmandu think that they feel inferior to others if they ride cycles.
Yes, it’s the bitter truth that Kathmandu faces. If most of my friends come to the college in motorbikes, I don’t dare to buy and ride a cycle to my college thinking that I would be humiliated in my college. What if they name me ‘Cycle-man’ or something even worse? I would not want to lose my respect for the sake of conserving fuel and environment. In Kathmandu, people think you ride a cycle only if you can’t afford a bike. Now, how would I give him an answer?
Actually, Kathmandu is a very small city. It’s not like you have to travel 30-40 kilometres to reach your college or workplace. Most of the residents of Kathmandu can reach their workplace within 30 minutes of cycling. We don’t need to visit places like Europe to learn about cycling. We only have to visit the Tarai to understand that cycling is all right. There, most people don’t use motor vehicles to travel just a few kilometres. And there, people are not deemed inferior just because they are riding cycles. In fact, having a number of cycles in the house is often a matter of pride.
Maybe it’s time to change the way we think, and delink cycles from this notion of inferiority. People have to take the initiative to use and promote cycling. I know no one wants to be the first person to be insulted. Perhaps it’s time that offices promoted some days of the week as ‘Cycle day’, when the employee must compulsorily ride a cycle to their office. I have heard that some organisations in Kathmandu have started this and it should be followed by others as well.
Cycling not only saves petroleum and helps in conserving the environment, but it also keeps you physically active and reduces the excess fat from your body. Except for the maximum speed attainable, motorbikes have no added advantages over bicycles. And in the streets of Kathmandu, I don’t think motorbikes have that advantage, anyway. So, from any point of view, cycles are perfect for Kathmandu—not only to help us tide over this time of crisis, but also at all other times. Let’s promote cycling and keep the environment and ourselves healthy.
Published in The Kathmandu Post 19th October, 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment