Pedal power
By Meena Ahmed
Every alternative Sunday, a group of cycling enthusiasts sets out on an early morning journey from Defence and Clifton. This is not a group of chowkidaars patrolling the streets for security purposes. It is a band of bike riders who are passionate about practicing their sport as a collective activity. This is Critical Mass Karachi (CMK), a cycling movement out on the streets of Karachi. 

Irrespective of an uncertain law and order situation and violence that are now synonymous with the area, Lyari keeps on producing passionate people, a majority of whom fight on to become champions. What sets the people of Lyari apart is their love for sport and a carefree attitude to follow their passion.

Cycling like many other sports has always been a favorite among the Lyariites. Weekends are usually kept aside for the race, which starts from Lyari to Clifton and back to Tower, which is famously known as the entry gate to the old areas of Karachi.

On the crowded lanes of Rangiwara in Lyari, 6 to 10-year-olds fearlessly peddle away on their cycles amidst horns and shouts from the rickshaws and cars behind them to clear the way. Tughlaq Line, a neighborhood beside the road, is home to many cyclists, some are professional, while some of them street-smart teenagers trying to earn a few rupees through betting with friends on Sundays.

Noor Alam is one of them. The major difference is that rather than getting into full-time betting he pursued his passion with the help of a mentor. With childlike honesty he begins by saying that he used to be "one of them" but then thought of changing lines.

Years after, he thinks that the decision he took worked well for him. Representing Sui Southern Gas since 2004, this 26-year-old has won many gold medals and broken many records. With hindsight, he says that if he were not part of the betting group he wouldn’t have come so far, "because I got training at that time, which was not available anywhere".

Speaking about it he says that along with his gang of friends, he used to cycle within Karachi and once in a year from Karachi to Peshawar. This, he says, helped many teenagers, who as a result of unemployment either opt for drugs or join a gang. Participating in the race does not take much and even if anyone cannot pay their friends help them out.

The intermittent spates of violence that plague Lyari from time to time have not worked as a deterrent; rather these people are more firm about pursuing their dreams. Even if it means cycling four hours a day, despite sporadic sounds of gunshots from the vicinity.

Noor Alam says that this is every young boy’s way of getting away from complacency and the feeling that they are not good enough. "When I was in Lahore many players, who have become friends now, used to ask me how it feels to be from an area which is known for gang wars and target killings. I used to feel bad and rather than showing my anger used to put that energy in my work," he says firmly.

Being the youngest among his 10 siblings, and without a father, Alam says that there are times when it gets tough. There are quarrels at home about money, first how to earn it and secondly how to spend it when it has come, he says lightly. "But even in such situations I have never been burdened by my family at all. They rather ask me to focus on my job," he smiles. After such record-breaking victories, Alam wanted to go to Malaysia, "but because of my weak English my family asked me not to embarrass them internationally," he says grinning sheepishly.

Older residents of the area are a bit sceptical as they think that roads are more congested now and it is crazy to even walk on these roads, let alone cycling. Ramzan Baloch, a staunch supporter of Lyari and its people, says that earlier the roads were more open and wider for people to cycle around in the area.

Born and brought up in Lyari, Abdul Waheed Baloch, 30, is a huge fan of the cycle race that takes place in the area. Sitting besides Noor Alam, he says that those who think that the racing culture is vanishing from Lyari should think again. Laughing, he adds that they are "immunized," as incessant violence has toughened them up. Agreeing with what Ramzan pointed out, Waheed says that it is true.

Speaking about a recent incident, he says that just recently there was a race in the area and some 30 cyclists participated in it. What happened was that there was a wide manhole in one of the streets which some of the cyclists noticed and drove away. But others stumbled on it one after another, creating a pile of bodies. Laughing, Waheed adds that all the while they were waiting for the cyclists to return those poor people were helping each other out of the manhole.

But despite all that, Noor Alam says that these very streets with open manholes have produced one of the best Pakistani cyclists in Lyari today, who have gone beyond these streets to carve a name for themselves.

Every alternative Sunday, a group of cycling enthusiasts sets out on an early morning journey from Defence and Clifton. This is not a group of chowkidaars patrolling the streets for security purposes. It is a band of bike riders who are passionate about practicing their sport as a collective activity. This is Critical Mass Karachi (CMK), a cycling movement out on the streets of Karachi. 

CMK plans out at a set location and time, to travel through a pre-planned route in a group. In Pakistan, this idea kicked off from Lahore, and after its success there, moved to Islamabad. Arif Belgaumi, one of the initiators of Critical Mass Karachi along with Kamila Marvi and Nader Cowasjee, is a passionate cyclist who got in touch with the group in Lahore. After meeting people with similar aims, CMK was born in Karachi a year ago. Since then, the cyclists’ group has spread to Faisalabad. 

The philosophy behind this movement was to get Karachiiites out onto the streets. "It was to encourage people to get over their fear of traffic in Karachi and to get men, women and kids out on the Karachi roads," Kamila told Kolachi. Thus, on every alternate Sunday, the group arranges a trip with different routes to explore.

CMK has 30 regular members with the oldest being a 71-year-old and the youngest a mere seven years old. Each active member gets an equal chance to chalk out the route which varies between 15 to 20 kilometres. While moving in a mass, Arif told Kolachi that at times it becomes difficult to handle the young participants who demand to pedal faster.

Work on planning a trip starts a week before. Usually, a post is placed on the group’s Face Book page and interested members sign up for the trip. The post usually includes all the information about the trip. Mostly the meeting points are Boat Basin, the parking lot of Delawala shopping centre, Salt and Pepper or Mc Donald’s at Seaview.  To add more fun to the trip, the main feature of the route is a stop at a Dhaba for breakfast. "A nice Dhaba for a good starting meal of the day is also our prime aim," laughed Arif.

The three founders of CMK lightheartedly shared the multiple reactions they receive from onlookers. "They do look at you curiously but some random bikers do join us happily sharing the same fun. We have been inviting random bike riders on our way saying ajao bhaeeya!," said Nader enthusiastically.

Considering the emphasis on having fun and security, mass cycling is perfect for women. One does not have to worry about being harassed on the roads as the group rides together, Kamila points out. Another woman member of CMK, Nameera, a film-maker by profession, said that being adventurous she enjoys outdoor activities. She commented: "Being women, we cannot usually cycle on the roads all alone. However, with CMK you can relax and have a carefree attitude while riding a bike."

Merely arranging cycling trips for the group members is not all that CMK is about. The group has also been associated with championing some causes too. Among them was commemorating 10/10/10 recently. One of the members had the idea to mark the day and planned several on the day.

Highlighting some of the negatives of carrying out this activity, all three initiators of CMK agreed that the infrastructure of the city is not favorable for a cyclist. "Development projects in this city have drastically reduced the trend of cycling, as all these signal-free corridors, flyovers and underpasses are really not meant for bikers," they argued.  They mutually agreed that there is a dire need of cycling paths and more parks in the city. Also, they pointed out that there are problems such as the lack of cycle racks to carry more than one cycle in a car. Kamila said, "We need to get hold of cycle racks which are rarely accessible here, as those living in areas nearby cycle to the meeting point which is not feasible for all."

When asked if there had ever been a mishap during the cycling activity, Arif and Nader jointly said there had luckily been no accidents. "There has never been any incident where, due to security concerns, CMK has had to change the route. But yes, due to instability in the city, a lot of foreigners, who want to be the part of this activity, avoid it," Nader said.  For that matter, the group is most active in areas such as Clifton and Defence so far, avoiding the old city that the group once used to ride through.

Besides being active on Karachi streets on Sunday mornings, Critical Mass Karachi has also arranged a trip to Mubarak Village twice. "This sport is a family activity. CMK has made it twice to Mubarak Village, which was a big hit among the members," Arif told Kolachi proudly.

So far, not many cyclists from other parts of the city have joined CMK. However, the group wants to make everyone welcome. ‘Come all and join us’ is their rallying cry. As the group’s Facebook page states, "Let’s join together and reclaim our public spaces and view our city through new angles."