31st August, 2013
Karan Pandey, a 19 year old resident of
Delhi, who was riding pillion with a friend amongst a group of 150 bikers, was
shot by cops attempting to stop them. This incident caught my eye and I decided
to get into the details of this ‘so called’ sport.
Stunt- biking dates back to the days when
Maut ka Kua was a part of every
circus show. It is a thrill, which gives immediate pleasure to the biker and
the adrenaline rush drives him to ecstasy.
For some, stunting is a passion while for others it is a statement of
cool quotient and a way of impressing the opposite sex. These stunters are
often enamoured by the appeal of the modified bikes that comes with K and M filters, neon lights, HID lights,
wheelie guards which enhances the performance and the looks of the bikes.
Although stunt-biking is illegal in
India, there is a huge craze amongst youngsters for it. “We bikers have no
proper tracks or any such areas to practice, therefore we make practical use of
the roads either early in the morning or late at night so as to avoid the traffic
and the cops”, says Devashish, a member of a local biking group.
Pranav Mishra, a passionate stunter says, “I draw my
inspiration from Ghost Ryderz, who are a famous Indian biking group. They
perform shows on international level and also act as stuntmen in various add
films and Bollywood flicks and this is the reason why I got attracted towards
stunting”.
Some of the popular stunts like
stoppie, wheelie, burnout, endo stoppie, 360 skit, dunkie wheelie and many more,
require lot of practice and one should perform them only when one has full
control over the bike. Proper safety gears like sturdy helmets, gloves, jackets
with neck guards, stunting boots and a fully maintained bike with functioning
breaks are a must for every stunter. One should never perform these stunts
under the influence of alcohol or when intoxicated.
In pursuit of
adventure, these dare devils not only risk their lives, they also get into the
habit of betting and are sometimes related to criminal nexus of chain snatching
and burglary .
Stunt- biking is a major sport in many countries and
Gen Y of India is also seen to be very keen on pursuing it as an adventure
sport and also becoming a professional suntman.
End.
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