“I’ve been repairing cycles near Chaderghat bus stop for over 40 years. People here call me Sulaiman Chacha. Even grown-ups who once came to me with punctured tyres as kids still stop by just to say hello.

I came to Hyderabad from Odisha in the late 80’s. Back home, there were five brothers and three sisters. My father was a daily wage worker. We didn’t have much, so I had to leave school after Class 3. I started working early, tried a few jobs, but I stuck with cycles. I’ve been with them most of my life now.

These days I earn around ₹700 to ₹900 a day if work goes well. It’s not always easy, but I’ve managed. During the pandemic, things suddenly changed. People brought out old bicycles that had been lying around for years. Some just wanted a quick fix. Others brought boxes of spare parts and asked me to make a cycle from scratch. Slowly, cycling came back and so did my work.

I know almost every cycle that comes to me. Just by the sound or how the pedal moves, I can tell what’s wrong. These gear cycles today are good, but my favourite will always be the old Hero cycles. The long tyre ones with steel frames. They had a solid feel. Sometimes it’s hard to find their parts now, but whenever I get one, I feel happy. Like seeing an old friend.

Some customers sit and chat while I fix their bicycles. Kids share their everyday activities at school. That makes me laugh. I may not know much English, but I know how to make a cycle run smoothly.

It’s really good to see that people are coming back to cycles again. That makes me feel hopeful. Maybe it’s for health, maybe to imbibe the cycling culture back especially on holidays. Either way, I’m glad. As long as there are cycles on the road, I’ll be here to keep them moving.”