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 I
want to fly... I want to touch the sky...
This is what Nilay Parikh and Ganesh
Ekbote seem to say with every stunt they attempt
on, hold your breathe, their bicycles. 'The
BMX Cycles' to be precise.
Prasad Hiranwar caught up with this talented duo,
the only two Indians to have achieved excellence
in this extreme sports by their awesome acrobatic
skills display, and asked them a few sporting questions.
What exactly is this sport about?
This is an Extreme type of sport and we
call it Extreme  Cycling. It
is called so because there are lots of risks involved.
When did you begin practising this sport?
We started during our school days somewhere
in ' 91 with our crude cycles, trying out all types
of basic stunts.
How did you decide to take up this particular
sport?
We watched a movie called the BMX Bandits, the first-ever
movie to be made on this sport. The movie set us
thinking about Extreme Cycling. In '94 we actually
started corresponding with the International Organisation
and other associations that were working for Extreme
Sports.
Where do you practice? Do we have any particular
place where you practice?
In '96 we built our first ramp, which was
of semi-international standard. Earlier we used
to practice in Salisbury Park.
You'll have also participated at the World
Championships, tell us something about it?
 We
had participated at the World Championships that
were held in Germany. It was the first international
tournament that we had participated in. It was a
fantastic experience competing with thorough professionals.
The participant's styles, skills and command over
their bicycles were simply amazing.
What was the response to your participation?
The people were surprised that people from
India could participate in such an exclusive sport.
We were the most appreciated participants; the kind
applause we received was much more than what the
winners received.
 Does
this sport have a future in India?
In India, importance is given to one particular
sport, which is unfortunate. There are many reasons
on account of which we cannot predict the future
of this sport. Firstly, the sport has not gained
the kind of respect that it has earned in other
countries. Secondly, this is a fairly expensive
sport. The cycles that we use are pretty expensive
and needs to be imported. Hence it is not a commonly
pursued sport.
But for Ganesh and Nilay, their hope in the sport
continues to soar.
Interview by: Prasad Hiranwar
Photos by: Harikrishna
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