In my youth, I used to look forward to my cousin visiting from us the States. The lovely chocolates that he invariably brought didn’t interest me much, and neither the toys. What I craved for were the bike magazines that he never forgot to bring.
Although the names of the magazines escape me, I remember the photographs in them like I saw them yesterday. There were all sorts of exotic bikes – and to the eyes of a 10-year-old, they looked like the two-wheeled chariots of the Gods. The pictures were the main attraction – premier class races, motocross races, rallies, and pictures from Round-the-world tours undertaken by crazy riders.
But the pictures that stayed in my head were those of the bike festivals that were held in the United States and Europe. The coming together of riders in huge numbers to celebrate the brotherhood of motorcycling was something that I was fascinated by. A huge number of big Harleys, Indians, BMWs, Hondas, and what have you, plied the boulevard for days at a stretch during these festivals. It wasn’t all bonhomie and fun – fights and brawls did break out, but those were all part of these big get-togethers.
Over the last decade or so, we’ve seen motorcycling as a hobby grow very fast in India. People are travelling to places that were, till a decade ago, considered the back-of-beyond. The sales of motorcycles have increased manifold, and motorcycle clubs have mushroomed all over the country. Club rides, both long and short, have started happening more frequently. And, invariably, bike festivals have also sprung up.
We now have hugely attended bike festivals like the Rider Mania (RM), India Bike Week (IBW), North East Riders Meet (NERM), and Himalayan Odyssey, to name a few.
With the arrival of manufacturers like Harley Davidson, Triumph, Ducati, and others, more such bike festivals organised by these manufacturers will be on the cards. The HOG rides are already very popular, and I have reasons to believe that similar events are on the horizon for Triumph owners as well.
The India Bike week is a new event, but it’s already making waves. Biker build-offs, stunts, music concerts, new technology, etc., are all part of the festival, and people ride form across the entire country to attend it.
The Himalayan Odyssey has been happening for years now, and every year the numbers of riders keep growing. The Rider Mania(s) (there are two RM’s) also have loyal followings, and the NERM is also growing at a very fast pace. Even though this event is held in the North Eastern states, which are considered difficult to get to, there has been a sharp increase in the number of riders from across India.
Of course, we don’t want bike festivals to be mushrooming in every nook and corner of the country. The novelty will be lost. I hope that the ones that are happening now maintain their individuality.
But I hope that we don’t try and ape Western bike festivals blindly. They certainly look good, and are surely exciting – but it would do no good to try and replicate them in totality. We simply can’t have bar fights (that are so common in the US bike fests), or barely-there-bikini bike washes. Those would attract the wrath of the authorities, not to mention the self-appointed upholders of Indian culture!
I hope the festivals grow in stature, but I also hope they stay exciting, but clean (not squeaky clean though, riders wouldn’t like that). Let these festivals be places where riders can bring their young kids – to see them grow up to be riders of the morrow.
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