The Indian city of Kota is known as the country's “coaching factory” due to its numerous education institutions that prepare would-be doctors and engineers for their entrance exams.
But in recent years it has gained a new reputation, as the premium "cycling city" in a country where riding a bike can be difficult or even dangerous.
Kota's large student population has spurred a growth in the number of bicycles in the city.
The city in India’s western desert state of Rajasthan draws about 200,000 pupils every year from across the country, as young people between the ages of 14 and 21 prepare for their national qualification tests to enter premier engineering or medical institutions.
The students come from diverse economic and social backgrounds but have adopted the humble bicycle as their main mode of transport.
“Youngsters enjoy cycling but here it is both a necessity as it is pocket-friendly and convenient, so you’ll see most of the students riding. All my friends ride a bicycle, it is fun to ride it in a group,” Aditya Singh, a student, told The National.
Whether going to their coaching institute, returning to accommodation or going to eat out, students are almost always seen riding bicycles – a rare sight in the country where the popularity of the bicycle has declined significantly.
There are no official statistics on the exact number of bicycles in Kota, but media reports estimate 50,000 people cycle every day, of which at least 30,000 are thought to be students, in a city with a population of 1.5 million.
Growing cycling community
The popularity of cycling in Kota stands out against the rest of India, where the car reigns supreme.
Cycling as a means of transport is uncommon in most of India due to lack safety and infrastructure, and because of the hot weather.
Bicycles were commonly used in the early 1900s, having been brought in by the British.
In 1910, about 35,000 bicycles were imported to India, according to historian David Arnold.
However, the popularity of cycling dropped over time, as scooters and motorbikes and later cars were introduced and more buses hit the roads.
Now, the South Asian nation is one of the countries with the busiest roads in the world but lacks cycling infrastructure.
There are more than 300 million registered vehicles. Although many Indians cannot afford cars, roads are often full of motorbikes, scooters, tuk-tuks, buses, trucks and pedal-rickshaws.
Crashes are frequent, with more than 412,000 road accidents reported in India in 2021, government figures show.
There is little dedicated cycling infrastructure and most roads are congested and polluted.
In Kota, however, the scene is different.
Students prefer cycling as it is convenient and cheap. Despite the absence of a cycling track, they feel safer to ride as traffic is slow and almost every fifth person is estimated to ride a bicycle.
“We have to cover a short distance so it is convenient for us. I have a motorbike at home but here, I feel good to ride a bicycle. It is also good for health and good for the environment,” Vicky Chauhan, another student, said.
“Youngsters enjoy cycling and public transport could be expensive. Also, because most of the people ride bicycles here, it feels safe on the road."
The growing cycling community in the city that is spread across 300 square kilometres has also given rise to the demand for dealers who sell bicycles for between 4,000-15,000 rupees ($48-$180).
Kota also has the second-largest second-hand bicycle market in the country, shop owners claim, with sales of 100,000 annually.
“Because of the cycling culture, there is a huge demand for bicycles. It is beneficial for exercise purposes and also they can sell it back to us for half the price when they leave the city,” Hemant Chhabariya, owner of Chhabariya Cycle Concept, told The National.
“Kota has the second biggest second-hand cycle market in the country. We sell more than 100,000-125,000 second-hand cycles every year. We have recently sold 500 cycles to students of an engineering institute."
Contributing to a greener environment
It is not only students who have taken to bicycles, with various groups formed throughout the city that aim to encourage cycling for a clean environment.
India suffers from the scourge of air pollution all year round and is home to 39 out of 50 most polluted cities in the world.
Experts have blamed vehicle emissions as a contributing factor to the toxic air quality, along with fuel adulteration and smoke from farm fires.
Delhi has been experiencing high levels of toxic air levels since October, with the Air Quality Index reaching hazardous or severe levels, forcing the government to pitch for a vehicle rationing system, but in Kota, the AQI has remained at moderate levels.
Cyclists give credit for the cleaner atmosphere to the use of bicycles.
Cycling keeps the environment clean and humans fit
Chandresh Dutt Sharma,
founder of Cyclotrots in Kota
Chandresh Dutt Sharma, founder of Cyclotrots, a bicycle community with 4,000 members in Kota, is one of them.
“We started the group in 2011 with an aim to eliminate pollution and reduce carbon emission and give back to mother earth. We were two or three friends then but now more people, including teachers at coaching centres and other professionals have joined us,” Mr Sharma, 53, told The National.
“We organise seminars and workshops in schools and coaching institutions to motivate them to cycle more. While students prefer cycles for shorter distances, we organise events for fitness and train for competitions.
“Cycling keeps the environment clean and humans fit.”
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
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Brief scoreline
Switzerland 0
England 0
Result: England win 6-5 on penalties
Man of the Match: Trent Alexander-Arnold (England)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
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Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
The%20specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The six points:
1. Ministers should be in the field, instead of always at conferences
2. Foreign diplomacy must be left to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
3. Emiratisation is a top priority that will have a renewed push behind it
4. The UAE's economy must continue to thrive and grow
5. Complaints from the public must be addressed, not avoided
6. Have hope for the future, what is yet to come is bigger and better than before
Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
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About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
THE SPECS
Touareg Highline
Engine: 3.0-litre, V6
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 340hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh239,312
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Profile
Company name: Marefa Digital
Based: Dubai Multi Commodities Centre
Number of employees: seven
Sector: e-learning
Funding stage: Pre-seed funding of Dh1.5m in 2017 and an initial seed round of Dh2m in 2019
Investors: Friends and family
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
INDIA V SOUTH AFRICA
First Test: October 2-6, at Visakhapatnam
Second Test: October 10-14, at Maharashtra
Third Test: October 19-23, at Ranchi
FA Cup fifth round draw
Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City
Reading/Cardiff City v Sheffield United
Chelsea v Shrewsbury Town/Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United/Oxford United
Leicester City v Coventry City/Birmingham City
Northampton Town/Derby County v Manchester United
Southampton/Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City
Portsmouth v Arsenal
MATCH INFO
Argentina 47 (Tries: Sanchez, Tuculet (2), Mallia (2), De La Fuente, Bertranou; Cons: Sanchez 5, Urdapilleta)
United States 17 (Tries: Scully (2), Lasike; Cons: MacGinty)
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
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- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
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THREE
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Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Bangla Tigers 108-5 (10 ovs)
Ingram 37, Rossouw 26, Pretorius 2-10
Deccan Gladiators 109-4 (9.5 ovs)
Watson 41, Devcich 27, Wiese 2-15
Gladiators win by six wickets
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Our legal consultant
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
'Dark Waters'
Directed by: Todd Haynes
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, William Jackson Harper
Rating: ****
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
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Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
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Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
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3.15pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum handicap (TB) Dh200,000 2,000m; Winner: Dolmen, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
3.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m; Winner: Amang Alawda, Sandro Paiva, Bakhit Al Ketbi.
4.15pm: The Crown Prince of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 1,200m; Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
4.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 2,000m; Winner: Al Jazi, Jesus Rosales, Eric Lemartinel.
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Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
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BMW M5 specs
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The biog
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Age: 40
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Specs
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Range: Up to 610km
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