Bike to basics!

Bike to basics!
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Two wheelers, especially bikes, were earlier status symbols and were considered a luxury. But for students who have to juggle various roles, it is a...

Two wheelers, especially bikes, were earlier status symbols and were considered a luxury. But for students who have to juggle various roles, it is a necessity Pratima Shantaveeresh bike Sonal, a student who commutes from Nagaram (near Saket in Hyderabad) to Begumpet used to face a lot of inconvenience while travelling in the bus everyday. "I had to travel around 20 km a day. The very first thing that used to upset me in the morning was that I had to quarrel with men who occupied women's seats. Next would be digesting the fact that so few buses ply during lunch hours. Third, I had to go for bus pass renewal and come back without getting the work done because of the power cut at the renewal centre. That's when I decided to commute by bike. Though I have to spend extra bucks, I don't mind spending as it's saves me from the regular torture." Angela Nayak, student, who travels by auto regularly, says "It's troublesome to travel by autos. Almost every day, I haggle with the auto-drivers as they don't provide service at the standard fare. Adding to it, I end up with arguments now and then, when ever I notice that the meter has been tampered with. With frequent strikes and protests, autos go the off road and I have to worry about an alternative conveyance. I'd agree that two-wheelers make a better option any day. Besides, it also permits one to sneak through traffic easily." Bike, earlier a status symbol and considered a luxury, now plays a crucial role in making the busy student's life easy � coaching classes, college, tuition, home etc. After mobiles, laptops, smart phones, tabs, iPads; bikes have come as a blessing to Gen-Y. With Gen-Y gearing up, there is lot of enthusiasm among the scooter manufacturers too. Abdul Aleem, head of sales section, TVS showroom,AS Rao Nagar, says that youngsters tend to choose bikes with a good pick up, engine power and great looks. Therefore, manufacturers immense importance about the wishlist of the youngsters. Bikes like Apache RTR, Wego and Pep+ are the one youngsters seem to prefer. Around 10 per cent of our buyers are youngsters." "I work in marketing field. Without my own transport, at times I find difficult doing this kind of job as client calls us anytime and they get upset whenever I reach late. With this, I can't think of commuting by public transport. So a bike is very important to me," says Vinesh Nair, employee with e-commerce site Amazon. Two decades ago, people believed bikes were only meant for men, but Hero Honda came to the rescue of women with 'Kinetic'. They are the pioneers in women's bikes. With bikes, women got freedom from depending on the men and the chance to travel to commute to workplace peacefully without having to argue with the quarrelsome auto drivers. Monica Rajendran, writer/singer says "My bike has always been my support system. While I was pursuing graduation, I worked part time in a news channel. I had to reach office immediately after college hours. After graduation, I worked for a media organisation. There, my shift used to end at 2 am. I had to travel alone. And now I travel from Sainikpuri to Koti to attend my music classes. All these would not have been possible without my bike. I would dedicate my success in my career to my bike. It is a part of me." "In these days of frequent assaults on girls, my bike is the easiest and safest way to reach college. I am not comfortable taking auto or public transport late in the night. At times I find difficult to shell out more money on petrol, servicing etc, but I think it's worth of it, says Debsu Maity, Loyola Academy.
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