Sparking conversations around safe cycling

An exhibition ‘Two Wheels Gurugram’ , explored the need for improving cycling infrastructure in Delhi-NCR region

A concrete grey city and vibrant women migrant workers on bicycles made up the space on a white canvas at the Centre for the Photographic Arts in Gurugram, this weekend. It was a telling frame with an immense visual appeal.

Dressed in a well-ironed and colourful sari, she on a bicycle and speaking on her mobile, put out an image of something delightful and independent. The worker’s faithful bicycle and phone hold her confidence, as she crisscrosses the huge city for work; it is a different scenario from the safe walls of her home. .

The canvas is an interpretation of how Hari Krishan, the artist and owner of CultureDrum, a creative think-tank views the Bengali women migrant workers in Gurugram. He believes there is something empowering about them turning up for work and it is impossible to miss her drape in vibrant hues. “And yet, she is an invisible, indispensable fixture of Gurugram,” says Krishnan, in awe of the female migrant labourers who handle the sari and the chain of the bicycle simultaneously and effortlessly, especially on the hostile streets of Gurugram. 

Mallika Arya, senior campaigner of Help Delhi Breathe,talks about the two cohorts of cyclists who share space on Gurugram Roads -- one for livelihood and for the other it is a matter of lifestyle. “Both are equally important and our in dire need of proper infrastructure on the city roads,” she says, and adds, “but one cohort will continue to cycle with or without proper road conditions and continue to build our cities because they have no choice. “It is this compelling inequity that we tried to address through the five-day exhibition, hosted by the the Museo Camera, in collaboration with the Sustainable Mobility Network, ‘Raahgiri’ Foundation, CultureDrum and a group of artists.”

The series of artwork showcased by Krishnan under the title ‘Panchali Pedals Through Gurugram’, made an impactful beginning to a captivating journey on two wheels. Richa Kedia, Nehmat Mongia, Seema Singh Dua, Sreelakshmi M, Anirudh Krishnan and Aditya Raj also had their artistic installations exhibited with the aim to invoking not just a feeling of passion for bicycling among the viewers but also arousing people to think about the lack of proper infrastructure and the risks involved in riding bicycles on poor roads.

“Art is a powerful tool to engage audiences who perhaps otherwise keep their discussions centering around social issues, confined to dinner table conversations. The idea is to evoke a compelling feeling among people so that a thought process geared towards demanding proper infrastructure for those who pedal on roads out of choice or compulsion, is put in place,” says Arya.

Wildlife illustrator Richa Kedia displayed her ‘Sketchbook of a Gurugram Cyclist’. “Cars don’t give you the same connection to nature as cycling does”, she says. “During the two years of the pandemic, traffic was less and one could breathe properly in the city. Nature was reviving; but again the condition has worsened as cyclists come out only during certain times of the day,” says Richa, whose sketches are based on her daily observations on the roads.