The freedom riders
The city’s bikers will ride to different locations this Independence Day in a quest for freedom, to chase a record, and for a good cause
The wind in your face and the open road ahead – it’s the ultimate symbol of freedom for bikers. It’s what the city’s bikers will be celebrating on August 15. While RD350, along with about 25 clubs from Bengaluru – includingBangalore Jawa Yezdi Club , Avenger Club, Riders of Bangalore, Bikers of India and more – will be taking to Nandi Hills on Saturday morning, Free Spirits Motorcycling Club will be taking to Honur Village, Kolar District. Both have different purposes – the former aims to celebrate the meaning of freedom, while the latter is dedicated to the late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and is for the benefit of Government Model Higher Primary School or Sarkari Madari Hiriya Prathamika Shalle in Kolar.
Vishal Agarwal (29), Founder of RD350 Club, says this will be their 7th annual Independence Day ride, one they always do in conjunction with clubs across the city. Last year they had 1,000 riders, while this time, they hope to enter the Limca Book of World Records by having 1,200 bikes – the largest number in one place. Each bike will also display an Indian flag – “upright, we follow all the rules,” Agarwal says. They will ride up to the hill together, and have a small function on top, where they will sing the national anthem. Why Nandi Hills? “It’s the best location in Bengaluru for bikers because it offers 40 curves. And the road is great for riding,” he says.
The Nandi Hills ride will have the bikers going in single or double line formation that they will maintain throughout. Agarwal says they advocate safety – riding gear, helmets and shoes, and staying within the speed limit of 50-60 km per hour. “We request people to check air pressure, fill fuel and have their bikes ready a day before. We’ll make two stops and leave the start line in lots of 30 bikers at a time, every 10 minutes,” he says. It is their way, he says, of saluting the freedom fighters – the same idea that led him to launch this ride back in 2009. Then, it was 30 people, but today, he is confident of breaking the record.
Some of their oldest riders are veterans Chakravarty R (84), a regular since five years, and Amit Dutta (55), a veteran member of Jawa Yezdi club. “They will share some of their stories and tell us how the clubs were started and so on. We will then have breakfast, wind up and proceed back group wise,” Agarwal says.
Free Spirits Motorcycling Club
The Kolar ride will have approximately 50 bikes and five cars with 80 plus participants – including family. “Bikers often put their passion for riding on the back burner after the pressures of work and family come along. So the philosophy of our group is one that includes family too – often in the car behind them,” explains Pravan Biddappa, moderator. They will have 20 women, of which five will be riding, 10 senior citizens out of which one rider will be “67 year-young” GV Acharya, a Limca Book World Record holder, and 10 children. It will be mandatory for all riders on the 80 km ride to follow safety and security precautions – both riders and pillion need to wear helmets, riding jackets, boots and knee guards, and not cross the speed limit of 60km/hr.
At the school, they will have breakfast with the children, sponsor 10 benches for the children to sit on, distribute uniforms, bags, water bottles, stationery, chocolates, install a 20 litre water purifier, play games and felicitate five retired schoolteachers.
Free Spirits Motorcycling Club will depart at 7am from ITI Gate after KR Puram hanging bridge, and return by 1 pm. Log on to Free Spirits Motorcycling Club (F.S.M.C)
The Nandi Hills ride will begin at 6.15 am from Columbia Asia Hospital, Hebbal. Individual groups will return on their own. Contact the local admins of different clubs if you want to participate.
The wind in your face and the open road ahead – it’s the ultimate symbol of freedom for bikers. It’s what the city’s bikers will be celebrating on August 15. While RD350, along with about 25 clubs from Bengaluru – including
Vishal Agarwal (29), Founder of RD350 Club, says this will be their 7th annual Independence Day ride, one they always do in conjunction with clubs across the city. Last year they had 1,000 riders, while this time, they hope to enter the Limca Book of World Records by having 1,200 bikes – the largest number in one place. Each bike will also display an Indian flag – “upright, we follow all the rules,” Agarwal says. They will ride up to the hill together, and have a small function on top, where they will sing the national anthem. Why Nandi Hills? “It’s the best location in Bengaluru for bikers because it offers 40 curves. And the road is great for riding,” he says.
In contrast, Free Spirits Motorcycling Club is a younger affair, started in November 2014, with their first official club ride on April 12, 2015 to Melkote to commemorate the “One Ride” with Royal Enfield, where they had 36 participants including women and children. This time, the school has been chosen because one of their club members hails from the place and suggested the school.
The Nandi Hills ride will have the bikers going in single or double line formation that they will maintain throughout. Agarwal says they advocate safety – riding gear, helmets and shoes, and staying within the speed limit of 50-60 km per hour. “We request people to check air pressure, fill fuel and have their bikes ready a day before. We’ll make two stops and leave the start line in lots of 30 bikers at a time, every 10 minutes,” he says. It is their way, he says, of saluting the freedom fighters – the same idea that led him to launch this ride back in 2009. Then, it was 30 people, but today, he is confident of breaking the record.
Some of their oldest riders are veterans Chakravarty R (84), a regular since five years, and Amit Dutta (55), a veteran member of Jawa Yezdi club. “They will share some of their stories and tell us how the clubs were started and so on. We will then have breakfast, wind up and proceed back group wise,” Agarwal says.
Free Spirits Motorcycling Club
The Kolar ride will have approximately 50 bikes and five cars with 80 plus participants – including family. “Bikers often put their passion for riding on the back burner after the pressures of work and family come along. So the philosophy of our group is one that includes family too – often in the car behind them,” explains Pravan Biddappa, moderator. They will have 20 women, of which five will be riding, 10 senior citizens out of which one rider will be “67 year-young” GV Acharya, a Limca Book World Record holder, and 10 children. It will be mandatory for all riders on the 80 km ride to follow safety and security precautions – both riders and pillion need to wear helmets, riding jackets, boots and knee guards, and not cross the speed limit of 60km/hr.
At the school, they will have breakfast with the children, sponsor 10 benches for the children to sit on, distribute uniforms, bags, water bottles, stationery, chocolates, install a 20 litre water purifier, play games and felicitate five retired schoolteachers.
Free Spirits Motorcycling Club will depart at 7am from ITI Gate after KR Puram hanging bridge, and return by 1 pm. Log on to Free Spirits Motorcycling Club (F.S.M.C)
The Nandi Hills ride will begin at 6.15 am from Columbia Asia Hospital, Hebbal. Individual groups will return on their own. Contact the local admins of different clubs if you want to participate.
