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6 techies cycle to work, save nearly $3,000
By siliconindia
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Monday, 21 December 2009, 15:45 IST |
61 Comments
1.4 lakh on fuel bills and gym fees, besides cutting flab, reports Bangalore Mirror.
It was Sharada Prasad C S, a former Infosys techie who now works with the NGO Arghyam, came up with the idea of cycling to work as a New Year resolution. His five other fellow techies - Kaushik C S, Vishwanath Shridharan, Chitra Sharma, Harsha Billalli and Diwakar Dixit thought that he was crazy. However, they decided to take up the idea as a challenge.
Kaushik C S, a techie with MindTree says, "Initially it started off as teasing remark. We teased each other on who would take up cycling first. As we entered the New Year, all of us took it seriously." His decision was not greeted with applause. "When I said no to my Thunderbird and yes to my cycle, my neighbours and colleagues laughed at me. But I did not give up," recalls Kaushik.
Vishwanath Shridharan, a techie with Infosys and now on a sabbatical to work for an NGO in JP Nagar, says, "I was weighing 125 kg when I decided to switch over from my Maruti Alto to bicycle. Many advised me to join a gym to get into shape but I did not have much time at my disposal. Today, I am happy that I have shed more than 25 kg in one year. I am the only one among the six techies who pedals 40 km a day." That's quite an achievement considering that he had to learn cycling after making the resolution. He did fall down while learning to pedal, but the bruises did not stop him. Also, he has quit smoking and saved on his petrol and gym fees. "By taking up cycling I've saved 35,000-40,000 this year in terms of my petrol bills and and gym charges," says Shridharan.
Chitra Sharma, who works with Wipro, says, "My family members yelled at me when I told them that I would pedal to office rather than ride a bike. I was at the firing end when I invested 15,000 on my cycle. But still I pursued it. Except for those days when I am on the night shift, every day I pedal to office from BTM Layout to Electronics City." That's 25 km of cycling every day.
Initially, Prasad's idea sounded weird to Harsha Billalli, a techie with Samsung India. But soon, he was hooked to cycling. He parked his Pulsar 200 at his native place to avoid the temptation of riding a motorcyle in order to stick to his New Year resolution. Billali says, "It helped me save on many things. Initially, I was frustrated with the idea as I used to sweat a lot and it was uncomfortable to work. But later I made it a point to carry a separate shirt and wear it in the office." From Kasturi Nagar to Bagmane Tech Park, every day he pedals 15 km.
Sticking to the decision required more than carrying extra clothes to work. It was not easy with the stress in the work place and changing work timings. The group drew inspiration from each other when the going got tough.
It was definitely not easy for Diwakar Dixit, a techie with Accenture in Bellandur, who cycles 30 km every day. "Changing shifts made it difficult for me to pedal every day. But on knowing my decision, my manager Rakesh and team leader Prabhanjan supported me by giving convenient shift timings." And how did he get over the danger of being mugged on ring roads after dark? He simply chose not to cycle on those roads and instead cycled on busy roads.
Prasad, the man who started it all, finds cycling as a stress buster. "While one undergoes a lot of stress driving bike or car, it is absolutely relaxing to ride a cycle. I listen to audio books and magazines while cycling and keep learning new issues."
He is also glad that people are generally sympathetic towards cyclists on busy roads. "Though traffic police harass motorbike riders, they are very lenient towards cyclists." However, he is disappointed that shopping malls treat cyclists as intruders. He says, "They do not allow us to enter malls with cycles." Yes, they don't just cycle to work. They cycle even during the weekends to go to malls and other hangouts.
As 2009 draws to an end, the six techies are ready to celebrate their cycling conquests. They want to influence as many as they can in their companies and neighborhoods to switch over to cycling not just for as a sustainable mode of transport, but for economical and health gains.
Let us hope more Bangaloreans take up the cycle and help restore greenery in the Garden City.
(Source: Bangalore Mirror)