Where There Is A Wheel

December 21, 2016

- P. Sainath

The essay “Where There Is A Wheel” is taken from the book ‘Everybody loves a good
drought’ written by P. Sainath a noted Indian journalist who writes columns
regularly on social, rural problems post globalization in leading journals.
This essay is about a social movement through cycling in Pudukkottai district of
Tamilnadu where over 100,000 rural women have taken to bicycling. Most of them are
neo-literates who use bicycling as a symbol of independence, freedom and mobility.
Cycling has given new meaning and social identity to women, agricultural workers,
quarry labourers and village health nurses. Even balwadi and anganwadi (baby
sitter) workers, gem cutters and school teachers have joined the bandwagon. There
are also gramsevikas and mid-day meal workers who have joined the new movement.

The Arivoli Iyakkam that led the community literacy movement successfully has found
a new source of inspiration in cycling to make women further independent and
confident. Very large number of trained women have volunteered to help new
learners. They strongly believe that all women ought to learn cycling. The very
idea was the brainchild of the popular former district collector, Sheela Rani
Chunkanth. She took it as a personal challenge to promote the cause of bicycling.
This was because by training female activists literacy could be reached to women
easily. She included mobility as a part of the literacy drive. Surprisingly, every
woman wanted to learn. Muthu Bhaskaran, a male Arivoli activist even wrote the
famous cycling song which has become their anthem.

Cycling for these women has helped in several ways: they sell their agricultural
products; their waiting time is saved; they are now able to cover large areas and
they have more leisure. More than economic aspect, cycling has given these women a
sense of self-respect. This humble vehicle is a metaphor for freedom which has
given neo-cyclists the feel of goodness and freedom.
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