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Discover the roots of the thriving BMX scene in Northeast India
The sport of BMX has been a form of expression and freedom for riders from Northeast India. Read about how the community began and grew strong.
It is an open secret that India’s BMX scene is strongest in the north-eastern states.
BMX arrived in India in 1985 and made its way to the Northeast in the mid-1990s. In a few years, it became very popular among young riders and the north-eastern region became the hub of the sport in India.
While they practiced earnestly, BMX athletes in Northeast India were initially viewed as rebellious youth with nothing better to do than ride cycles during the day. The reality was far from that as the BMX riders were merely following their passion and finding a way to express themselves.
Here the early promoters of the sport, veteran riders, and current athletes discuss how they found a space for themselves and kept a passion alive despite little support in the early days.
The beginning of the BMX scene in Northeast India
Umananda Irom from Imphal, Manipur, is one of the pioneers of BMX in Northeast India. He is also one of the most vocal of promoters for the sport in the region.
As one of the first people to practice the sport, he has helped the community form and grow over two-and-a-half decades. Umananda began practicing BMX in the late-1990s, and while he rarely rides or competes now, he is still the most well-known faces in BMX as an organizer and promoter.
“When we started practicing the sport, we did not have proper BMX bikes. They weren’t even available at the time. We used to modify our local bikes and practice on them. In fact, there weren’t even enough bikes, so we shared. On average there was one bike between three-four of us,” says Umananda Irom.
“We didn’t even have the internet to learn tricks by watching videos. We used to watch movies featuring BMX and started experimenting based on what we saw. That’s how we created our style. I still remember an incident from 2001; one of our riders accidentally pulled off the ollie trick, and we didn’t even know how to do it before,” adds Umananda.
15 min
Air: The story of BMX in Imphal
The story of the passion that drives the young BMX riders of Imphal, Manipur, India.
Creating official governing bodies for the sport
While some of the problems of the past remain till date, Umananda has been working hard to legitimize the sport.
“In 1999, we formed the group Ultimate Riders of Horizon. We organized small camps for people interested in the sport. We also started looking for organizations to associate with them officially. There were no proper organizers for BMX back then,” says Umananda.
And so, he took it upon himself to establish the first governing body for BMX in India.
“We formed the Extreme Sports Association of India in July 2008. It has since been dissolved. But when it was established, it was associated with the Asian Extreme Sports Federation. With this association, we learnt how things work at the international level. Because of the international affiliation, Indian riders were invited to games, events, and competitions,” says Umananda.
Growing the community
One of the biggest deterrents for riders getting into BMX has been lack of family support. Parents of young riders often do not see a future in the sport. They would rather their children pursue a much-coveted posting with a government agency. However, the practitioners have always gone with their heart.
“Everybody loves sports here (Northeast India). We are more into physical activities. We want to explore the outdoors. We love thrill sports. BMX helps us define ourselves, and that’s why we love it. We otherwise feel so confined in this region. BMX allows us to challenge our limits and liberate ourselves,” said Umananda about the popularity of BMX in the region.
Miller B Renthlei is another veteran of the sport, hailing from Aizawl, Mizoram. He returned to Northeast India purely to help build the community of BMX riders.
“I was not in the Northeast when I originally started practicing BMX. It was around 2011-2012, that quite a few BMX competitions were held in the region, and I just had to be a part of them. My main intention was to connect with the community and get to know more riders from Northeast India,” says Miller B Renthlei.
Miller B Renthlei, Bunny Hop
© Partha Pratim Choudhary
“We have many BMX riders here. The BMX community in the Northeast is close-knit. The community drives us to stay on our feet and be true to ourselves. We help one another get through obstacles and we learn from each other. We teach new riders who show interest and are ready to take up the sport at a young age,” says Miller about the community.
Hosting events in Northeast India
Umananda organized one of the first events to feature a BMX competition in Northeast India. It was called X-Jam, and it was conducted during the Manipur Tourism Festival in 2009. The event included competitions in skateboarding and BMX.
“We have been organizing X-Jam since 2009. There were a few years of trials and tribulations in between when we couldn’t organize it. In 2023, we are planning a Northeast India tour for BMX riders. Then we will organize the X-Jam event again in November 2023 in Manipur,” says Umananda.
X-Jam is still one of the most popular BMX events in Northeast India. It has helped inspire many more events and competitions for the sport.
“I have been able to showcase my talent at many events in Northeast,” says 25-year-old Akash Bhawal from Shillong, Meghalaya.
“Events like Metropolis Asia happened yearly in Guwahati, and I participated in it every year from 2014 to 2017. Other events like 18 Degrees, which used to happen in Shillong yearly, the Alcheringa festival in IIT Guwahati, the BMX Park World Champ India visit organized by Red Bull India, the BMX Flatland World Whamp India visit, and a few other events, have also taken place here,” Akash adds when speaking about his 13 years in the sport.
“It is cool to have events like these because we promote our BMX sport through them. They also help people recognise BMX freestyle as a professional sport,” says Akash.
Viki Gomez conducts a workshop with local BMX riders in Shillong
© Ali Bharmal | Red Bull Content Pool
2022 was a landmark year since a national-level open BMX event was held in Northeast India for the first time. The competition was held on 26th and 27th November as part of the 10-day Manipur Sangai Festival in Imphal. The competition officially falls under the aegis of Cycling Federation of India.
BMX parks in the region
32-year-old Mayanglambam Gupta Singh from Manipur has been riding BMX since 2004. He used to be a skater previously but took up BMX when he stumbled upon his friend’s ordinary Indian BMX bike. He would borrow the bike to learn tricks until he got his own bike later in 2004. Mayanglambam was forced to practice in the streets because of a lack of BMX parks when he started out.
“We had to ride on roads, which is a major problem for the safety of the public and the rider. Most of the locals thought of us as thugs. So it was always important for us to get proper parks,” says Mayanglambam.
Over the years, several parks have been established in the region.
“BMX parks are a dream come true for all riders in the region. The opening of Visibility Zero Skate Park in Shillong led to other parks being established. The community pushed for other skateparks in different parts of the Northeast. Shillong has two parks; Guwahati has one; Aizawl and Arunachal Pradesh have one each. All these parks are owned by private individuals, except the one in Guwahati,” says Miller.
Miller B Renthlei
© Miller B Renthlei
And there are more parks to come.
“The Manipur government has designated a place to build a park for skateboarders and BMXers in Imphal. It will be on par with other Asian parks. We expect it to be completed in two years,” says Umananda.
Procuring bikes and gear
One problem that continues to plague BMX riders in Northeast India is purchasing bikes and parts. With no BMX stores in the region, everything needs to be bought from other parts of India or imported, making it expensive.
“The major problem we face is getting parts for our bikes. Most of the parts are imported. There are a handful of shops all over India that sell, but none in our region. BMX tends to be a very expensive sport because of this. Expensive parts that become even more expensive with all the importing an transporting costs, says 27-year-old Ian Kupar Diengdoh from Shillong, who has been practicing for BMX for seven years.
“Buying parts for our BMX bikes is the biggest difficulty we face, because the parts are not ordinary. Bikes face a lot of wear and tear because of the jumps and tricks. Each part we have to import is always very costly,” says 21-year-old rider Dolph Graham Kharrinam from Meghalaya, who has been practicing BMX since in 2014.
Daniel Dhers performs in Guwahati, Assam
© Puberun
Future of BMX in Northeast India?
While they still face an upward struggle to get to international standards, the Northeast riders who are leading the way for India are very hopeful.
"If the government could support us by building parks for riders to practice, it would be a game changer for each state. It would help the BMX community in India expand and progress a lot. In that case, parents would also support their children. Most definitely, we need proper BMX coaches and guidance from a young age," says Dolph.
"The sky is the limit for anyone who pursues BMX. Younger riders will make it far if they push themselves. I'm sure the next generation of riders will make it to global competitions,” says Miller.
