A 100 bells and a motorcycle

Until not too long ago, Vijay Malhotra was busy as a gross sales planner with a media home in Mumbai. Then a fortnight in the past, he took out his bicycle — Firefox Road Runner Pro fitted with 101 uniquely crafted bells with charming designs — and rode via the busy streets of Bandra. As he ‘tring tringed’ his approach via visitors grabbing eyeballs, onlookers and passers-by spontaneously gave him a brand new title, ‘The Bell Man’.

“I believe I seemed like a personality straight out of a storybook and folks stopped me to investigate about my curiosity,” smiles the 41-year-old, who goals to unfold the message of street security with the sight and sounds of the bells.

Though a visit to Paris in 2018 rekindled his romance with biking, it was solely after visiting the Netherlands final June, that he determined to remodel his ‘biking to maintain match’ mission right into a artistic journey. “Along the canals of Amsterdam, I met the Flower Bike Man and noticed the attraction and influence of his flamboyantly embellished bikes that unfold cheer and smiles among the many folks,” says Vijay.

New mission

He bought three intricately designed bells adorned with picturesque windmill motifs from Delft, a metropolis in south Holland, and on returning to Mumbai, started eager about infuse related power and happiness on the streets of his home-town and different cities throughout the nation.

In Mumbai, Vijay hit the wholesale Kalbadevi Market and stumbled upon Life 99 Bells, an appropriate, reasonably priced substitute for the Dutch bells . “With help from a neighborhood shopkeeper, I obtained  100 bells from Ludhiana, paving the way in which for my formidable 101 Bell Bike undertaking,” he says. Vijay didn’t need his bells to be similar; he needed them to be creatively distinct, vibrant, and crowd pleasing. Artist Chanchal Joshi was roped in to customize the 100 bells  utilizing decoupage artwork.

Vijay’s main concern was additionally to make sure  the art work remained dust-free, water and  heat-resistant. He discovered a trusted bicycle mechanic Faisal Thakur, to meticulously instal 101 bells on his bicycle. It was delivered to him on May 2 and the response from his household, buddies and colleagues was all pleasure.

“I took it out first on May 5 and the general public response  overwhelmed me,” says Vijay who now desires of driving his bicycle throughout the nation to attract consideration in direction of street security. I wish to elevate consciousness about protected lane driving and improve bike owner visibility on roads,” says Vijay, who plans to come back to Delhi  quickly.

Vijay has was a blogger and vlogger together with his biking advocacy and began a YouTube channel aptly referred to as “Pedal and Tring Tring”. “My cycle with 101 bells is a strong reminder of prioritising each bike owner’s security,” says Vijay who’s a recipient of the 2023 World Bicycle Day Award of the United Nations for ‘Excellence in Promoting Cycling for All’.

Akansha Sharma