Classic Legends boss feels that the biker code has evolved, says it now includes wit & women as well
Anupam Thareja believes that part of this evolution has descended from how masculinity is viewed today.
By Shannon Tellis, ET Bureau |
Agencies
The biker code has evolved, says Classic Legends co-founder Anupam Thareja.
Say the words ‘biker code’ and instantly an image of a Hells Angel biker, clad in leather, standing with arms crossed, side-by-side his brothers, comes to mind. But that stereotype is no longer true. At least not in India.
According to Anupam Thareja, co-founder, Classic Legends (the manufacturer behind the reborn Jawa motorcycles) the biker code has evolved from its uber-masculine roots to a new sort of gentleman’s code.
“Male bikers were always associated with macho, beards, drinking but I think that’s changing,” said Thareja. “Being macho, which was significant to biking once, is beginning to be played down. The new biker code is much more inclusive and encompassing because it’s not just men who ride but more and more women are riding too.”
“It’s now more adventure, more interesting, more sensitive, more aware, more experiences, maybe even more wit and not just “macho”. It’s the kind of a person who you may not notice coming into the room but definitely remember when they leave. One who speaks their mind and can wear their heart on their sleeve.”
The dawn of the gentleman biker
"The new masculinity is equally about listening and understanding, about empathy as much it is about doing. It’s Maslow’s hierarchy of sorts. Masculinity seems to have ascended the pyramid and is no longer concerned with just the basics.”
According to Thareja, this shift in mind-set has been driven, in a large part, by how women themselves have changed.
“Confident, able women don’t need to be supported, they want empathetic partners and collaborators in every aspect of life. Ask a woman (today) what do you like in a man? She’ll talk about gentlemen, she’ll talk about sensitivity, about exposure. Sensitivity means caring, not just for yourself but for those around you. Which is why giving back is such an important part of what we (as gentlemen bikers) do. From simple things like not littering to making sure that the places we go to are left better by our having been there. It’s not about just taking in resources and experiences but as much about giving. That is the crux of being a gentleman biker.”
Say the words ‘biker code’ and instantly an image of a Hells Angel biker, clad in leather, standing with arms crossed, side-by-side his brothers, comes to mind. But that stereotype is no longer true. At least not in India.
According to Anupam Thareja, co-founder, Classic Legends (the manufacturer behind the reborn Jawa motorcycles) the biker code has evolved from its uber-masculine roots to a new sort of gentleman’s code.
“Male bikers were always associated with macho, beards, drinking but I think that’s changing,” said Thareja. “Being macho, which was significant to biking once, is beginning to be played down. The new biker code is much more inclusive and encompassing because it’s not just men who ride but more and more women are riding too.”
“It’s now more adventure, more interesting, more sensitive, more aware, more experiences, maybe even more wit and not just “macho”. It’s the kind of a person who you may not notice coming into the room but definitely remember when they leave. One who speaks their mind and can wear their heart on their sleeve.”
The dawn of the gentleman biker
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Thareja believes that part of this evolution has descended from how masculinity is viewed today. “The notions of real men don’t cry, and such other stereotypes are falling by the wayside because it’s not the Wild West anymore,” he said. "The new masculinity is equally about listening and understanding, about empathy as much it is about doing. It’s Maslow’s hierarchy of sorts. Masculinity seems to have ascended the pyramid and is no longer concerned with just the basics.”
According to Thareja, this shift in mind-set has been driven, in a large part, by how women themselves have changed.
“Confident, able women don’t need to be supported, they want empathetic partners and collaborators in every aspect of life. Ask a woman (today) what do you like in a man? She’ll talk about gentlemen, she’ll talk about sensitivity, about exposure. Sensitivity means caring, not just for yourself but for those around you. Which is why giving back is such an important part of what we (as gentlemen bikers) do. From simple things like not littering to making sure that the places we go to are left better by our having been there. It’s not about just taking in resources and experiences but as much about giving. That is the crux of being a gentleman biker.”
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2018 was a year filled with exciting car and bike launches, not just in India, but all over the world. Some of the premium auto launches that topped the charts were truly breathtaking. And here’s rewinding to the year which saw some mean machines being rolled in Mo-town.
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