In Mahishbathan, tucked in a lane behind Salt Lake Shiksha Niketan school is a single-storeyed building that looks ordinary from the outside, but is, in truth, an extraordinary space. At most times, you can find Sajal Roy tinkering with a bicycle in his workshop here. Roy, 63, uses European designs to build novel variants of the bicycle. Each one of his creations disrupts our traditional perceptions. It is hard to imagine such versatility. “People around here laugh at me and call me mad, but I receive so much appreciation from abroad,” he says.
Until a few years ago, Roy earned his living making murals and selling idols. An artist by profession, he ran a shop in Kankurgachi. “Work took a dip after demonetisation, and the pandemic completely shut down whatever was left.” In his helplessness, he turned to cycles.
Roy at his workshop in Mahishbathan
Growing up, Roy would zip around Kankurgachi on a traditional cycle, and in his youth, he cycled to all corners of Bengal. It was only during the first Covid lockdown that Roy started to experiment: “I saw that in Europe, people reserved a different level of respect for cycles and cyclists. I was fascinated by some homemade custom designs. These were more popular than branded bikes. In India, we never go beyond the traditional cycle, which is vertical, but Europeans have created horizontal cycles that improve blood circulation and take less effort.”
‘Importing them was beyond my capacity… so I made them myself’
Intrigued, Roy tried to import one such model to Kolkata, but was crestfallen to find that he would have to pay more than a lakh of rupees to procure for himself a horizontal cycle. “Importing them was beyond my capacity, but I really wanted to ride them, so I made them myself.” Having become a member of several Facebook cycling groups, Roy found videos of people assembling custom cycles. He says, “I got a sense of the components I needed. I learnt how to assemble them. I didn’t have a welding facility, so I took what help I could from other sources but I did most of the work myself. I learnt through trial and error.”
‘In India, we never go beyond the traditional cycle, which is vertical, but Europeans have created horizontal cycles that improve blood circulation and take less effort,’ said Roy
Discouraged by people in the beginning, Roy started with little confidence — “I thought I would just end up making scrap”— but when he uploaded a video of his first prototype on Facebook, he received appreciation from across the world. By sourcing all the material locally and by making his cycle from scratch, Roy had managed to build his final product for only Rs 12,000. “When I told people how much it cost, they were shocked. They couldn’t believe it. Cyclists from Spain and North America wanted to come to Kolkata, especially to ride my cycle. The response gave me so much joy that I decided to immerse myself into this. I made three more bikes. I am currently working on my fifth,” he smiles.
Roy’s most experimental bike is exclusively meant for the elderly to learn how to cycle, one that he learnt to create from Facebook
Roy starts every design with a blueprint. Once he has narrowed down the measurements, he sources his raw materials from Bentinck Street and Manicktala. He gets the welding done locally, finally putting everything together himself. Making such cycles in Kolkata isn’t easy. “I even have to make the handles from scratch because they are not available here and I want to modify it very specifically.” Eventually, Roy hopes to sell customised versions of his bikes. “I will make exact replicas like mine for the customer. I will adjust it to their taste and style, but the original demos will stay with me. They aren’t for sale.”
Roy hopes to sell customised versions of his bikes eventually
After spending three years trying to master this craft, Roy can today build a cycle in a mere three days if he has all the materials in his workshop. His financial condition, however, rarely gives him that luxury. “My shop in Kankurgachi has been shut since the pandemic and I’m still trying to sell it. Whatever I save these days, I invest it into my cycles. I have built them bit by bit, investing a few hundred rupees at a time. I have ambitious plans. I want to make a lot more cycles, but my finances keep getting in the way,” he says.
‘The society we live in is not conducive to cycling’
Cycles are essential for both the individual and society, Roy adds. “The increase in motor vehicles is contributing to a rise in pollution and our planet is heading toward disaster. The society we live in is not conducive to cycling. Also, cyclists are often seen as people from a lower class, but we must power through. The benefits of cycling for our environment are immense. Besides that, it also helps build physical and mental fitness.” Even in his 60s, he cycles 50km at 6am every morning. “Every few weeks, I also cycle to Santiniketan!”
Even in his 60s, Roy cycles 50km at 6am every morning
When asked if the long trip leaves him tired, Roy breaks into a grin. “All my cycles have a mechanism similar to normal cycles, but they offer more relaxation. The latest one has a recumbent design that allows you to be completely horizontal with only your head lifted. If you can cycle 50km on a traditional cycle, you will easily be able to cycle 100km with this.”
It is this passion that Roy wants to instil in people around him. Despite losing his livelihood, he credits his cycles for giving him purpose: “My dream is to have all the resources I need to just make cycles for the rest of my life.”
