“Cycle rickshaws to use geared cycles to help reduce risk of injury and strain”

One of the first things that strikes you if you land up in Noida from most urban cities, even Indian ones, is the presence of rickshaws. And by rickshaws, I don’t mean the 3-wheelers that are called rickshaws in Bombay. Here, rickshaws refer to the cycle rickshaws – whereas the powered 3-wheelers are aptly referred to as ‘auto’. In hindsight, you realize that while cities like Bombay dropped the ‘auto’ from the term ‘autorickshaw’, places like Noida which already had cycle rickshaws before the advent of the autorickshaw, promptly decided to drop the ‘rickshaw’ word and kept the term ‘auto’. But I digress.

What strikes you also, as soon as you plonk yourself in one of these cycle rickshaws, is the effort that the cycle rickshaw driver, referred to from now on as the ‘rickshawwalla’ (‘walla’ could loosely be translated as ‘the one with’ or ‘the one who it belongs to’), puts in carrying his passengers from one destination to another.

Now, these cycle rickshaws are nothing but a cart which can seat 2-3 people on a seat facing the front – and has the ability to seat even another 2-3 people on the back facing the rear. Thankfully, you will not find too many instances of cycle rickshaws filled with 5-6 people – 3 people seems to be the norm. Even then, on an average, if you were to weigh the average Indian at 68 kgs (a number derived from the average passenger weight derived from weight limits mentioned in innumerable elevators across this country), the load that the rickshawwalla has to move tops out over 200 kg.

When it comes to the weather, sultry North India weather needs to be experienced to be believed. With temperatures regularly crossing 40° Celsius, it doesn’t take long for the average Indian to look for cover.

It was the realization of the above, and the experience of seeing these rickshawwallas struggle to start, speeden up, try to maneuver traffic, people and other rickshawwallas, stop at a red light, and start all over again that made me first empathize with their lot, and then try to find a solution to make life easier for them.

And the solution that struck me was gears – I grew up using a mountain bike with 21 gears and although I didn’t use most of them, I do know there is a world of difference in the effort required to ride if you use them properly.

So what stops this from happening? I’m guessing first and foremost – the lack of awareness. I doubt if any of them know what gears for cycles are. Even if they knew, chances are they believe it can’t be fixed to their existing rickshaws. And if they can be, they wouldn’t know the costs involved. Or assume it to be too prohibitive.

Chances are, they probably wouldn’t even care to find out.

And the reasoning for that, as illogical at first glance as it sounds, is probably quite simple.

Their life, from their perspective, has improved. Their parents probably struggled to make ends meet – at least they have the chance to earn a living for themselves and their families. And that, in their heads, is a step up. And for now, it probably is enough.