'It gives me a real kick to dodge policemen'

KOLKATA: Police have, on numerous occasions, cracked down on bike gangs and penalized errant riders. But strict vigil and stringent rules have failed to curb bike menace on Kolkata roads. TOI on Thursday met a biker who lives life on the fast lane to get a glimpse into the psyche of these riders.
I do it for the thrill of it. The person who can do the most daredevil stunt earns the maximum respect in the group.
We have a group of 16 boys who are busy with their work throughout the day. We meet after 10pm every night and hang out till early hours of the morning. This is also the time to show off our latest bikes and the stunts we can perform with them. With AJC Bose Road and Maa flyovers getting linked, we now get a long and unsupervised stretch where we can race our bikes. We start from Hastings and speed off on the flyovers till Science City. Whoever takes minimum time to cover the entire stretch is treated by the others on that particular night.
By now, it is time to head to one of the hangouts which are frequented by the bikers from all over the city. So while returning we do not take the flyover but the road below to tease the cops and race with the cars. Most of the days, we find a check post at not more than two to three crossings. On most occasions, the cops do not try to stop us. Anyway, they won't be able to catch us on their outdated bikes.
But yes, sometimes the cops carry out special drives when they put up guardrails to stop those speeding on bikes. The news reaches us because many cops are friends with us and we often hang out together over tea. Special checking does not mean we will miss our daily fix of speed and thrill. It gives real kick to dodge the cops and speed past them. Most police officers are so unfit they cannot chase us for even a few meters. By the time they start their bikes, we speed into darkness.
Though all of us have helmets, we don't wear them because if we do then how will we flaunt our latest bikes and do stunts on the road properly. The thrilling experience cannot be explained. At night, bikers rule the roads.