Bicycles Are Powerful Tools For Access To Higher Education..

Hopikrishnan · Jan 26, 2021

That was the voice-over announcement in the video of the Republic Day Parade 2021. I like it.

I went to college on a bicycle. It was easier to park close to the buildings, and saved a lot of time.

What is your experience? Was there a bicycle in your past ?

Thyagarajan · Jan 27, 2021

During my academic days & as a day scholar, for three years, I had pedalled and rode to and fro four times a day that includes weekends too. The ramshackle secondhand bicycle purchased for around ₹50 served well for three years.

I never heard of gym nor there was one in our campus or in the locality. There was no separate time for exercise regimen. Yet there was no lack of fitness or stamina. Ordinary meal yet I remained healthy.

During one of factory visits, with class mates and faculty head visited bicycle manufacturing company messrs. TI CYCLES at Ambattur Chennai. A sports version that they were exporting in 1960s was costing around ₹200 or so.

I remember just to earn attendance in first year, it was useful more often from my bicycle to jump into last row bench at rear of class room at ground floor through the large window at the fag end of thermodynamics lecture in the morning at eight. Few of my class mates jump out from that class and take away my cycle parked close to a window.

Thanks for nostalgia.
Regards.

Hopikrishnan · Jan 27, 2021

Thyagarajan said: ↑

....I remember just to earn attendance in first year, it was useful more often from my bicycle to jump into last row bench at rear of class room at ground floor through the large window at the fag end of thermodynamics lecture in the morning at eight. Few of my class mates jump out from that class and take away my cycle parked close to a window.
Click to expand...

That made me wonder about the mechanics of how you got your attendance credit for the class. Would you park your bicycle close to the wall, climb up on it to reach the window to climb into the class? And the one of your classmates who had already been granted attendance credit would sneak out the same way and skip the rest of the lesson about entropy? True to the title of this thread, you actually used your bicycle as a tool to reach education that was going on at a higher level.

You need to write your longish essay on the matter.
Here is something for an engineer/physicist:

The Bicycle Problem That Nearly Broke Mathematics

Thyagarajan · Jan 27, 2021

That Is more useful to learn what is the force behind that balances itself with and without the rider. It was thrill to leave both hands free from handlebar and still ride straight. Thanks for the illustrations.

images here triggered 1959 release ( I was sixteen) - A pair of Bicycles into view - the scenes from tamil movie KalyanaParisu for duet song:

This bicycle would also remind one the popular competition - an endurance trial - Grand Prix - Tour de France .

In rural Tamilnadu there used to be a show for three or five continuous days one man cycling non stop, demonstrating his ability to change his dress, eat drink and do a series of circus while he is on the ride is on. It used to draw huge spectators and sponsors.

Bicycles in design has gone into a sea of change. Modern trends and the tandem cycle - are great but one needs a dedicated space assigned by Munucipality or corporation and in city like chennai difficult to find one.

Once, I remember I used my own bicycle to chase an Iyer and a while later an Iyengar priest on the day of dark moon narrated in link:

Me, Dad And Discovery Of New Moon

Thanks and Regards.