Dimapur, February 22 (MExN): Have we ever dreamt of leaving a job, skipping the four-wheelers and heading out on a cycle to the ‘who-knows-where’ or mobilizing the friendly pedals to keep away from the traffic, cleaning flies or just inhaling fresh breezes? A lot of brazenness and farsightedness counts in there.
Native Station started as the Naga blog cycling club, later with around seven core member focusing on the management and all the activities started the flagship programme “Kohima Downhill” as a main event in 2014 up till now which has attracted riders from other states in the country, even female riders and the tourists too and is now annually held during the Hornbill festival in December.
“It is for the community but you cannot involve hundred people to make the decision,” Yanpvuo Kikon, the founder and core member expressed. “Participation and crowd supporters were extremely encouraging,” recalls a member during the street fitness event organized by the club last year at the Heritage Circle Raj Bhavan. Picking up with the smart mobility, the inspired generation is the youngsters and student enthusiasts as the team observes the thirty or more of their own cyclists are and their contribution and participation been remarkable!
“We met because of cycling, cycling brought us together,” Yanpvuo said. The part encounter of talking eventually ended up riding together. Fun, challenging and encouraging are long rides into the steep, cranky paths and terrains or jostling into the highway traffic. It veritably has multitude benefits in physical health, mental and environmental benefits and saves time, saves fuel! What a beautiful thing for a milieu of green scenery!
While collaboration and network can bring a huge societal impact, the team also expressed the need for both governmental and individual support for encouragement. The rising interests and potential for urban mobility and indigenous cycling adventure activities sees a good market avenue for the state too. Expressing such interest he expressed, “If we can get car loans why can’t we get cycling loans at a lower interest rate or even incentives with discounts.” While indigenous bamboo bikes isn’t only a unique piece but is also durable, a huge mass production of the bikes can be used by a battalion of the government, suggested the group and alternatively a means of daily transportation as daily wage earners and students also does in campuses in other states at the same time keeping the adventure spirit alive which ultimately can make Nagaland a mountain biking capital of India and the South-east Asia. The team has mulled huge supports from the department of tourism, the Alaphra group, Giant bikes etc and many individuals in the past organized events, the year set plans to make it more sophistically professional by tying up with experts or counselors from other countries and mapping areas for tourists in the vicinity to make adventure explorations through hired bikes around the places. What can replace a traffic ridden society with bad roads and small crowded street is a bicycle and a rider also knows the benefits and fun engraved in the pedals also beautifying scenery with a view of made for it. On the roads, if people can walk and cars move along, there is a place for cycles with safety too.
