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| A M Shinas arriving at the college on his bicycle |
One Tuesday morning about four months ago, the campus of Government Arts and Science College in the city experienced a change. Neither the teachers nor the students could believe their eyes -- a venerable Assistant Professor was coming to the college riding a bicycle. While the scene evoked exhilaration on the campus, the teacher was in fact breaking down a social inhibition with his few minutes’ ride.
Meet A M Shinas, Assistant Professor of History at the college, hailing from Kottaram Road here, who has emerged as an advocate for the ‘Back to Bicycles’ movement in the city. Every working day, except on Mondays- when the traffic is heavy in the city- Shinas goes to the college on his bicycle. That is not all, for he ventures out on his preferred vehicle to the grocery store and even to visit relative in the city. And come what may, he never skips an hour of cycling on the picturesque Kozhikode beach, early in the morning.
“Since joining the college, I have been thinking of travelling on a bicycle. But, like everyone else, I was diffident, thinking it would be laughing matter for the students and my colleagues. However, I later realised that bicycles are making a silent but steady comeback across the globe. Finally, I decided to become a part of this change, which I certainly feel is for the better,” says the 40-year-old teacher.
Shinas feels that a return to bicycles would be inevitable for city folks within the next ten years. “At present, we are witnessing a four-wheeler hegemony in the city. But given the stagnation in road infrastructure development and the ever-growing number of vehicles, we will have to revert to the bicycle culture sooner or later. Besides, it is good for health and would help reduce pollution and traffic congestion. 40 per cent of the population in countries like the Netherlands and Sweden are using bicycles. Even in India, the trend is catching on in the big metros,” said Shinas, who has been in the teaching profession for seven years.
And how has the response been at his college? “While the students enthusiastically accepted the change, teachers appear indifferent. They say four-wheelers are more convenient. But I feel, it’s all about maintaining a certain status for most of them. A significant number of teachers and students are staying within a two to three radius of the college. Unlike other cities of the state, Kozhikode City mostly has an even terrain. Yet, they are reluctant to use cycles even once in a week,” he lamented.
Shinas, however, believes that with time, the change would be more pervasive and more people would start using bicycles.
For encouraging the trend, he suggests creation of bicycle- friendly stretches and bicycle tracks in the city. “It is high time that authorities take measures to encourage use of bicycles in the city, as that is where the hope of a pollution-free future lies,” he added.
Meet A M Shinas, Assistant Professor of History at the college, hailing from Kottaram Road here, who has emerged as an advocate for the ‘Back to Bicycles’ movement in the city. Every working day, except on Mondays- when the traffic is heavy in the city- Shinas goes to the college on his bicycle. That is not all, for he ventures out on his preferred vehicle to the grocery store and even to visit relative in the city. And come what may, he never skips an hour of cycling on the picturesque Kozhikode beach, early in the morning.
“Since joining the college, I have been thinking of travelling on a bicycle. But, like everyone else, I was diffident, thinking it would be laughing matter for the students and my colleagues. However, I later realised that bicycles are making a silent but steady comeback across the globe. Finally, I decided to become a part of this change, which I certainly feel is for the better,” says the 40-year-old teacher.
Shinas feels that a return to bicycles would be inevitable for city folks within the next ten years. “At present, we are witnessing a four-wheeler hegemony in the city. But given the stagnation in road infrastructure development and the ever-growing number of vehicles, we will have to revert to the bicycle culture sooner or later. Besides, it is good for health and would help reduce pollution and traffic congestion. 40 per cent of the population in countries like the Netherlands and Sweden are using bicycles. Even in India, the trend is catching on in the big metros,” said Shinas, who has been in the teaching profession for seven years.
And how has the response been at his college? “While the students enthusiastically accepted the change, teachers appear indifferent. They say four-wheelers are more convenient. But I feel, it’s all about maintaining a certain status for most of them. A significant number of teachers and students are staying within a two to three radius of the college. Unlike other cities of the state, Kozhikode City mostly has an even terrain. Yet, they are reluctant to use cycles even once in a week,” he lamented.
Shinas, however, believes that with time, the change would be more pervasive and more people would start using bicycles.
For encouraging the trend, he suggests creation of bicycle- friendly stretches and bicycle tracks in the city. “It is high time that authorities take measures to encourage use of bicycles in the city, as that is where the hope of a pollution-free future lies,” he added.
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