Director of India Bike Week, Martin D’Costa, wants to make a difference not only in the lives of the riders but also inspire more people in terms of mobilisation. By Team Viva
There was a time when bikes meant utility, for those who could not afford cars. Of late, bikes have graduated to prized possessions and maintained by those who ride for the love of it. And it is to celebrate them that there are festivals like the India Bike Week.
Martin D’Costa, festival director of India Bike Week said, “We created the bike festival for two very simple reasons — to give like-minded bikers, adventurers and ourselves a place to come together and share our knowledge while exchanging ideas. The second reason was simple, it gave us an excuse to ride our motorbikes through India’s scenic roads. Of course it has grown far beyond these objectives and now plays host to many stakeholders — from the bike manufacturers and media, to specialists, retailers, experts and riding clubs. Each has their own reason to come to IBW, and we hope each feels that the festival is their very own.”
The bike festival wants to make a difference not only in the lives of the riders but also inspire more people in terms of mobilisation. It was created to provide a platform at a certain place and time in the year where people from all over India and Asia could ride, meet each other — learn and teach something.“Biking is an escape from India’s urban jungle — a route to independence and freedom for India’s young at heart generation. It is something that would not only grow, but would also become terribly important with time. For most 20 and 30 years olds out there, it’s often the only escape from the drudgery of the urban grind. There were examples from the US, UK, Australia and Europe where 2,50,000 plus bikers regularly come together to celebrate the freedom and independence that biking represents — at Sturges, Faaker Se and many others. It seems that time has proven us right.” It gives an opportunity to bikers to interact with great people who share a similar passion, are tolerant and fun to be with.
The bike festival will be bigger and better this time. It will have multiple music stages, palatable food and revamped biker shopping zone. More bike manufacturers are involved this time. With an increased interest in biking, several bike clubs too have sprung up where all sorts of crazy and wonderful things happen.
“We’ve decided to democratise the festival by dropping the entry prices by 50 per cent. Partly to give back a little to the biking community in our fifth year and also to welcome young bikers and travelers. It will be a lot of fun, you need to come in and see it for yourself.” The event will take place in Goa from November 24 and 25.
“We’ve also got leslie Potterfield at the festival — The world’s fastest women on two wheels. There are also India’s best customised bike builders, cinema zone with the country’s greatest travelers hosting their films, giving tips on how to ride from India to Moscow and points elsewhere. There will be Beerbulance, and Howling Dog Bar for the young blood. It’ll be two days of serious mayhem at Vagator Beach this year,” added Costa. There will be a training academy and racing zone for the riders.
Varad More is a biker from Pune who believes that biking has changed from being a pursuit of passion to a high adrenaline sport. “With the advent of social media and people’s exposure to motorcycling as a sport or a leisure activity it is being perceived as more than a commuting solution. Biking has certainly come a long way in India in the past two decades. In the last decade we have seen some of the major Japanese, European and American manufacturers coming into the Indian market with their global product range.”
“People are taking to this sport and making sure that motorcycling as a hobby as well as profession reaches new levels. It has become accessible to many and has been well received even by the rather conservative society that we live in despite its obvious perils. A strong indication of the sport getting a dynamic boost is the fact that many women are taking on motorcycling as a hobby or sport, which until now was predominatently considered to be a male domain,” he added.
On bike makeovers, Aditya Deshmukh, a custom motorcycle builder said, “I usually sit with the concept on which the client wants me to build a bike. I translate the thoughts and ideas running in my head on the paper through some sketches. It’s necessary to be up-to-date with what’s happening in the market and be aware of what others are building so that you know you don't build on similar lines. While usually most builders are building what they see trending online, I think this helps me to explore more and think of something out of the box. What excites me is the process or any design execution that's difficult to achieve and when it's actually achieved it’s satisfying. If there's something missing in a product, the attempt is to complete that or to give that product a personal value. There are no boundaries when it comes to custom-designed bikes!”