[blackwasp]

Source

When I told our Dutch friend that this was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s cycle, he let out a nervous snort, perhaps thinking that I was spinning a yarn without a charkha. Maybe his disbelief was cultural. Where he came from, the cycle would have been restored by experts. It would have been taken to a rarefied location for forensic study. I imagine it going through metallurgic analyses, with rubber and paint composition tests. A think tank of historians would have studied it: one on Gandhi, another on bicycles, a third on papers and the history of cigarettes in the subcontinent, a fourth on nails and fasteners, topped with a theoretician on the practice of jugaad.

About six months earlier, I had hurried into a meeting at the ashram. At the time, I was the Project Coordinator of Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission, a project designed to document the buildings that Gandhi had built, lived in or had been incarcerated in. It was a coordination meeting to review the status of the 34 identified sites. As always, there was tea and banter between Tridip Suhrud (Gandhian scholar and then director of the ashram), Neelkanth Chhaya (architect to the ashram and academic) and myself. It was in the midst of this conversation that the topic of restoring a derelict bicycle was gently thrown in as a natural extension of my interest in anything that moves on two wheels. A few days later, the cycle was loaded into an auto-rickshaw and delivered home.

I didn’t know what to do with it. My initial response was to put together something resembling the imagined Dutch forensic team – a group of experts. In India, where vehicles are involved, this usually means getting a Parsi on board. But this was merely a cycle, not enough to draw in the interest of that lot (internal combustion is the minimum requirement for them). Everyone else was there for the forensic reconstruction.

Strangely, there was little rust on the frame and only a film of it on the mud and chain guard. Cleaning the cycle manually would remove the rust unevenly and leave a patchy residue of the old paint on the frame. The spokes could not be opened, but thankfully the wheel alignment was amazingly still fine. The bearings were removed and later replaced. It seemed the right thing to do was to bare all the metal and then consider the issues of paint and chrome. All the parts were to be sent for sand blasting but not before the mud guards, and the chain guards had to be straightened by a good denter.

The entire process of restoration had cost Rs 13,310, of which the pedestal’s cost was Rs 7,500. I have a sense that Gandhi would not have approved of either. Neither, I think, would he have approved of the institutional processes that had taken over the story of the bicycle. The multiple strands inclusive of the stories and intersections of so many people – Sendhaji, Pravin, Ajitbhai, Anisbhai, Tridip Suhrud, Neelkanth Chhaya, others at the ashram and an architect – all flattened into a singular symbolic narrative in his name.

[Dieseltuned]

Wow, this is really awesome. My heartfelt thank you to the gentleman to help preserve the heritage otherwise we as a nation are so poor at. I am also baffled at the variety that team bhp brings to the table a big shout out to this platform too.

[V.Narayan]

Hearty congratulations to Riyaz Tayyibji for restoring this national treasure and preserving it for future generations. What a wonderful task to accomplish especially in our country where heritage is taken for granted at best or completely ignored at worst. It is becoming fashionable these days, egged on by those with certain leanings, to deprecate Gandhi's contribution to and leadership of the freedom movement. Easy to do today with the cushion of 74 years. Fact is his philosophy of non-violence and non-co-operation, which he lived by and was assassinated for, shook and crumbled the most powerful empire the world has ever known. The British ruled due to their vast military and police might and superb administrative organization. Gandhi responded with tools they had no answer for. He espoused plurality that all Indians regardless of religion, caste, gender or race are equal. Our country misses him and his strength today. Tolerance requires strength. Narrow mindedness only needs insecurity and hate. Jai Hind.

[chethan.ram]

That’s a beautifully restored bike. Very well done.

[v1p3r]

Wow! Amazing article. Why is this not trending?!

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

It is becoming fashionable these days, egged on by those with certain leanings, to deprecate Gandhi's contribution to and leadership of the freedom movement.

I just don't understand how people do this today.

[saisree]

Wonderful restoration of a national treasure. A great job indeed. And that crank wheel with that hand symbol

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Our country misses him and his strength today. Tolerance requires strength. Narrow mindedness only needs insecurity and hate. Jai Hind.

True. We need Gandhi with double/ thrice of his mental strength to sustain in this age of character assassination?

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by v1p3r

Why is this not trending?!

To understand this we only need to observe how few even on Team BHP have opened this page....less than 1300 as of now!!! And this on a forum where lakhs come each day.

Originally Posted by saisree

True. We need Gandhi with double/ thrice of his mental strength to sustain in this age of character assassination?

I just don't understand how people do this today.

It takes almost nothing to hate, to rant, to spit - every two paisa chap can do it - it makes them feel powerful and important - that is why it attracts so many. And the top leaders of the country today have made it fashionable to besmirch people who died in 1964 or 1948 and are not here to defend themselves.

[doxinboy]

Please invite him to join TBHp, he deserve an honorary induction to the team.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

And the top leaders of the country today have made it fashionable to besmirch people who died in 1964 or 1948 and are not here to defend themselves.

When I used to stroll eveey week at Teenmurty Bhavan, residense of Pandit Nehru in Delhi, the sheer humility of the building was a force to reckon with. I can never forget the progeny of Panditji, an old octagenerian, sitting in his chair at the library next door, stood up and shook my hand, with such firm grip, with piercing eyes that reflected the years gone by.

It is such humble personalities that our proud nation is made of. It will be a befitting tribute to our forefathers to restore and display their daily drive. I'm sure some.of them would have been our alumnus if TBHp existed back then.

[pradeepkc]

Heart warming to read this article. Great job by the team involved in the restoration. Thank you for posting it here.

[Spaced Out]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

It is becoming fashionable these days, egged on by those with certain leanings, to deprecate Gandhi's contribution to and leadership of the freedom movement. Easy to do today with the cushion of 74 years. Fact is his philosophy of non-violence and non-co-operation, which he lived by and was assassinated for, shook and crumbled the most powerful empire the world has ever known. The British ruled due to their vast military and police might and superb administrative organization. Gandhi responded with tools they had no answer for. He espoused plurality that all Indians regardless of religion, caste, gender or race are equal. Our country misses him and his strength today. Tolerance requires strength. Narrow mindedness only needs insecurity and hate. Jai Hind.

I agree with every aspect of your statement and the belief that underlies it.

Except that the British did not rule due to their military and police might - alone. The total number of white British in India were a significant minority till 1857 (under the East India Company rule) and while it increased after that when India became a Crown colony, it was still much less that one may imagine. In 1939, total adult white males in India was about 90,000 of which 60,000 were British soldiers and 12,000 were all the non-militiary civil servant class including ICS, railways etc.

(Source - The fables of nationalism - Indivar Kamtekar)

It's extremely important in the age of Whatsapp history to actively engage with our history on a more rational and skeptical basis. Indians played an active role in establishing, facilitating and supporting British rule. Its also unfair to judge them from our contemporary morality today. The foundation of the major Parsi, Gujarati business houses, for instance, was laid in the Opium trade. The story of Tata's and how they fought to make steel in India is one that every India child seems to be taught. Less well known is that their first major fortune was founded in the Opium trade with China which rapidly became the mainstay of the East India Company's wealth. Or how the British Indian Government sourcing iron, steel, textile and other local products in the WW2 from local manufacturers laid the second major fortunes for these industrialists.

I want to detail this out as much of Gandhi's effort was spent in recognizing plurality of religion, caste, language et al and it's challenges in India, and the need to craft Indian nationalism on this. The Indian National Congress of pre-Gandhi days was relatively very moderate and not interested in 'nation state' at all. Our old NCERT books addressed this very well in this regard.

Unfortunately, most Indian men are bought up with a unhealthy disregard for history throughout their school education. It is a source of much ironic amusement to me today to see my uncles and aunts, who would jump out of the window if their child had done anything other than PCMC or PCB or Commerce (horror!), to now enthusiastically debate historical facts and interpretation as inspired by Whatsapp forwards.

[.HEM]

Congratulations on restoring this beauty. You have saved the cycle from landing into a scrap yard.

Sure if Gandhi ji was alive he would have not approved it, but he would have maintained the cycle as it was on day one.

[deathwalkr]

er can we stick on topic?

Great restoration work on a historical item. Glad that it exists and is back to a prime condition.

[M00M]

Coming from a family of freedom fighters and someone who still believes in Gandhiji and his teachings. This is heartwarming. Thank you for this restoring this bicycle back to its glory. The aura around this bicycle must be so strong that even if you were to park it amongst many it would still generate as much energy and naturally attract attention and stand out. Thank you once again from the bottom of our hearts.

And as V Narayan Sir points out, we need him more than ever now and his teachings.

[AAD]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Hearty congratulations to Riyaz Tayyibji for restoring this national treasure and preserving it for future generations. What a wonderful task to accomplish especially in our country where heritage is taken for granted at best or completely ignored at worst. It is becoming fashionable these days, egged on by those with certain leanings, to deprecate Gandhi's contribution to and leadership of the freedom movement. Easy to do today with the cushion of 74 years. Fact is his philosophy of non-violence and non-co-operation, which he lived by and was assassinated for, shook and crumbled the most powerful empire the world has ever known. The British ruled due to their vast military and police might and superb administrative organization. Gandhi responded with tools they had no answer for. He espoused plurality that all Indians regardless of religion, caste, gender or race are equal. Our country misses him and his strength today. Tolerance requires strength. Narrow mindedness only needs insecurity and hate. Jai Hind.

Very well said Narayan Ji. Not only is it a pleasure to read your expert comments on matters related to automobiles or defence but also contemporary affairs.

Truly, India needs Gandhi again.

[fawad0222]

Great Work!! Came across his thread incidentally. Also got to know about how the first business house of the country and few others came up in the beginning. As I consider myself a reader and having an idea of the contemporary issues, it clearly tells us the weaknesses of our academic curriculum and education policies.
Also, its never the numerical strength of the conqueror and the conquered which matters but only the the strength of the conquered army. The public readily capitulates and rarely stands up again. this has been happening since time immemorial.