Chennaiites beat the heat with two-wheeler umbrellas

Syeed Faheem, a resident of Royapettah, saw a video about a unique umbrella online and immediately ordered it from Agra. “The equipment costs over Rs 1,500 and the delivery charges are Rs 400. I paid a few hundred extra to the mechanic to install it,” says Syeed. 

“I have been using this equipment since March. April and May are usually brutal when the sun shows no mercy. This umbrella has been extremely useful and protects me from the harmful rays of the sun. It’s light and does not obstruct my manoeuvring the bike.” 

The umbrellas have a canopy with vents that helps it keep its shape when it’s windy. “The nylon canopy is arranged in such a way that the entire bike is covered. It can withstand speeds up to 60-70 kmph and it can be removed when not needed,” says Mani S, a mechanic from Sowcarpet who helps people install these umbrellas; it takes him only 15 minutes to do so.

Sale of these umbrellas have been consistent ever since they were launched. Saktivel S, a Coimbatorebased businessman who sells these products across Tamil Nadu and Chennai, says, “They have become popular from this year on. These umbrellas were first spotted in north India and Maharashtra, but it’s only now that people from Chennai are ordering them. I sell around 20 to 30 umbrellas a week. The scooter umbrella is available for Rs 1,700 and the bike umbrellas for Rs 2000. I am expecting sales to rise in the coming month as word spreads.”