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Capturing the thrills

Last Updated 20 June 2016, 18:33 IST
There’s a new breed of bikers whose ranks are swelling slowly but steadily in the city. They call themselves ‘motovloggers’.

The motovloggers don’t believe in penning down their thoughts and observations but in saying them. They capture all they see, be it new places or events, whenever they are riding and add their comments to it, edit it and put it on their respective motovlogging sites on YouTube.

Most motovloggers do their bit to not only showcase new places but also to promote the concept of safe riding. They wear all the required safety gear and tell people about the importance of wearing it and also why it is important to follow traffic rules.

The idea to start a motovlogger’s movement in the city was first initiated by Raghavendra Bhandarkar, an employee with Cisco. He says he was inspired to start his own space on YouTube called ‘Big Bang Biker’ after he began following the work of a few motovloggers in the West. “While most motovloggers travel and explore new places and capture them, I wanted to do it in a different way. I found that there are beautiful places in our own state.

So I began capturing new places across Karnataka,” explains Raghavendra. He also says that he promotes the concept of safe riding among youngsters. “In the video, when riding, I talk about how important it is to wear safety gear and why speed thrills but has no other benefit beyond that.”

It’s the yearning to explore new places and ride new bikes that prompted Hafiz Khan, a young professional, to join the group. “Travelling to new locations and meeting new people is not only a refreshing process but also leaves me feeling positive. We also send socially relevant messages,” says Hafiz. 

Most motovloggers believe that they are on a mission of sorts and feel that there is nothing more powerful than the visual media.

Prajesh Chandran thinks motovlogging is like taking someone through a virtual reality show. “The visuals captured on our camera are real things that everybody sees and experiences around them on a daily basis. It could be traffic jams, incidents of road rage, accidents and overspeeding. We also talk about where these visuals are from and in what context they have been shot,” says Prajesh.

Another member, Swamynathan Ramakrishna, says live feeds about daily happenings on the roads are sure to get people thinking. “We have had many people who’ve viewed the videos and commented on them in a positive way. This will slowly but surely bring about a change in people’s attitude when driving or riding,” says Swamynathan.

There are a few people in the group who have no qualms admitting that they love speed. Aniruddh Prabhakar says he knows the dangers involved in speed but he still loves it. “I ride at high speed but I always make sure that I wear all the safety gear. I am not promoting speed as a good thing but telling people how to ride safe if they too, like me, love speed. I am being honest in my narration,” he says.

In addition to working professionals, the group has students too who are interested in the activity. “Motovlogging leaves me with interesting memories. The whole process involves educating people and the motive behind the ride is good,” says Pranav, a student. Bharath, another student, pitches in saying, “There’s very little editing done in the videos and we don’t hold back any information. This also makes the whole process believeable.”

The members of the group ride all types of bikes including the latest models and take bikers through the power and performance of new bikes and what it is like to ride them on different kinds of stretches. Praveen Kumar S and his hobby of modifying his bike is what got him interested in the activity. “I don’t do any stunts or race but I like changing the look and character of my bike. Motovlogging also provides information about new bikes hitting the road and their performance,” he adds. Sagar, another member, who likes to take his bikes out for a spin every weekend, feels motovlogging provides a perfect break from work.  

(The group can be contacted on bigbangbiker@gmail.com)
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(Published 20 June 2016, 16:11 IST)

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