A giant bicycle, a diehard Samajwadi fan and a 15,000-km campaign trail - Hindustan Times
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A giant bicycle, a diehard Samajwadi fan and a 15,000-km campaign trail

Hindustan Times, Lucknow | By
Mar 03, 2017 08:26 AM IST

Sher Mohammed Khan, a rickshaw-puller in his 50s from Meerut, is on a 15,000km cycle yatra, seated atop his unique bicycle – that is 12 feet long and 6 feet tall. Khan canvasses for the Samajwadi Party and desperately wants to see chief minister Akhilesh Yadav play his second innings.

Sher Mohammed Khan, a rickshaw-puller in his 50s from Meerut, is on a roll these days. Seated atop his unique bicycle – that is 12 feet long and 6 feet tall -- Khan canvasses for the Samajwadi Party (SP) and desperately wants to see chief minister Akhilesh Yadav play his second innings.

Sher Mohammed Khan, a rickshaw-puller in his 50s from Meerut, is on a 15,000km cycle yatra, seated atop his unique bicycle and canvassing for the Samajwadi Party.(Oliver Fredrick/ HT Photo)
Sher Mohammed Khan, a rickshaw-puller in his 50s from Meerut, is on a 15,000km cycle yatra, seated atop his unique bicycle and canvassing for the Samajwadi Party.(Oliver Fredrick/ HT Photo)

Khan’s 15,000km cycle yatra, covering Amroha, Rampur, Faizabad, Ayodhya, Lucknow and other neighbouring districts, is a unique journey in itself

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He does not pedal the cycle – in fact, he actually can’t as the cycle is too huge. It’s his son, Soni Khan, on a bike who pulls the cycle with a rope, drawing hundreds of curious onlookers everywhere they go.

Khan’s mission began in early 2016, when he decided to assemble a giant cycle to canvass for the SP. But, assembling a cycle of this dimension was not easy as parts were not available in the market. It was then that he decided to make one himself.

“I started casting the parts, including the tyres, rims, spokes, chassis, handle -- everything,” Khan told HT in state capital Lucknow.

Sher Mohammed Khan and his unique bicycle, which is 12 feet long and 6 feet tall, also has lights. (Oliver Fredrick/ HT Photo)
Sher Mohammed Khan and his unique bicycle, which is 12 feet long and 6 feet tall, also has lights. (Oliver Fredrick/ HT Photo)

Among all the parts, he said, making the tyres and the rim was the toughest.

It took him nearly six months to get the rims made, which, he said, were made by joining two different rims of a rickshaw.

He used a similar technique to make the tyres. And there it was, ready for the ride just a couple of months ahead of the Uttar Pradesh polls. The cycle cost him Rs 60,000.

Onlookers gather to meet Sher Khan and look at his cycle during his yatra. (Oliver Fredrick/ HT Photo)
Onlookers gather to meet Sher Khan and look at his cycle during his yatra. (Oliver Fredrick/ HT Photo)

Khan began his mission from Meerut, and covered almost all constituencies there.

“I exhorted people to bring the SP back to power if they want to see their state developed,” said Khan, who was on his way back to Meerut via Lucknow.

During his journey, he also met with an accident in Rampur that left his left leg injured. “My father took rest for almost a week and then begin with his journey again,” Soni Khan said.

Soni said the feeling throughout the campaign was heartening as people extended a warm welcome to them wherever they went.

“People took selfies, videos, photos with us. I am really thankful to them for making us celebrities,” said Soni.

In 2011, Sher Khan, who is also a big fan of Bollywood filmstar Dharmendra, pedalled his rickshaw from Meerut to Mumbai to meet the actor during the shoot of Yamla Pagla Deewana, which featured Dharmendra and his sons Sunny and Bobby Deol.

A delighted Dharmendra, in fact, gave Sher Khan a small role in the movie as a return gesture.

Watch an interesting conversation with Indian politician & former Union Minister of State, Milind Deora. HT’s senior journalist Kumkum Chadha talks to him about his life in politics & beyond. Watch Now!
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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Oliver Fredrick is working in capacity of Senior Correspondent and is based in Lucknow. Other than covering important beats like Railways, Defense, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), District Administration, he loves to write on human interest stories as it gives an instant connect with the readers. In his career of around 10 years, he has done several path-breaking stories which had forced the State Government authorities to take appropriate actions. Prior coming to Lucknow, he was based in Bareilly and was taking care of politically-sensitive West UP districts like Rampur, Moradabad, Pilibhit, Badaun,Muzaffarnagar and others.

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