The Case of a Feminine name given to a 1200cc Harley by its creator
I recently had the opportunity to work with Vijay Singh (of Rajputana Customs) who customises heavy motorcycles like Harley Davidson and Royal Enfield and converts them into art masterpieces.
For the uninitiated customising motorcycles is a whole industry. And why not!
Bikers, especially the avid ones, love their two-wheels. Its not just something they possess, but its who they are! And just like people get their bodies tattooed to show the world who they are and what they believe in; similarly bikers feel the urge to modify their stock bikes, Enfield/Harley/Triumph into a form that more closely resembles with themselves.
That’s how the need for motorcycle customisation arises and hence the entire industry.
Being not really a biker myself, it was something very new and at the same time super fascinating to know about this world of bike customisation and the people in this passion-driven industry.
And knowing more about Vijay, the guy I worked with, was a special privilege and also in some ways life changing.
There are so many things one can take away from his story and I am going to touch upon one particular aspect — one that people find more fascinating than his actual ‘art pieces’ themselves.
The Names he gives to them!
Sample these names for a motor-bike which Vijay christened for some of his custom bikes:
- Ranisa
- Rajmata
- Laado
Laado happens to be a 500cc BSA; Ranisa a 500cc Royal Enfield and Rajmata - a 1200 CC Harley!
Who would ever think such feminine names would be associated with something that symbolises “Macho-ness”.
Of course I had to ask him what made him give such names to his bikes.
But before that I had a more basic question.
Why even name a bike in the first place?
Especially when you are not going to own them; you are creating these bikes for the client.
Vijay’s response:
Because a bike is like a child that you have incubated in your workshop for months and when it is ready for the world, it needs to be given a name. ‘Uska Naamkaran hona zaroori hai’.
He continues:
We live with our bikes, we watch them take shape and grow in front of our eyes, and yes, we develop a bond. The amount of love that goes into building the bikes is just like the love a mother puts in nurturing her child. For me, my bikes are my babies. Most people don’t give a name to bikes that they customize for others, I guess they don’t feel that sense of ownership. But for me, each bike I customize is mine forever, because it is my creation, it is a part of who I am.
His reply left me moved. This amount of love and ownership for your work! Oh how much we would want our outsourcing partner (Our App Developer! Our Content Writer! Our Designer! Our XYZ!) to own and love the work as much as Vijay does!
I was starting to get an inkling how these feminine names would have come about as well.
Vijay tells about Laado:
“It was an Army-retired bike from 1947 with a military green paint job. There was something about riding a vintage bike in 2013 that really moved me and I knew this would be my favourite. In Rajasthan, my favourite is also called “mhaari laadli” and thats why we called it ‘Laado’”.
About Rajmata he explains:
With a grey paint, miniature artwork on sides, engraved levers, and a springer front-end full of chrome and nice glossy paint, the bike looked beautiful! The bike had a massive presence and was grand in its stance. It was the pinnacle of the bikes we had created so far. Thats when we decided to call it the ultimate Queen, ‘The Queen Mother’ — Rajmata.
He summaries:
These names are a reflection of the identity I create for them. Its an expression of love. Its a balance between the feminine beauty as well as the macho aspect of the bike.
And really, when you look at these bikes, these feminine names do not feel out-of-place at all.
Its true:
When you create something with so much love, it shows in the work and in Vijay’s case…in the names as well!
