BENGALURU: Hoverboards are all the rage world over. The trend, which caught on late last year in India, died down in mere months.
These self-balancing boards, with wheels on either end and a hand control, are popular in Western countries. However, Bengalurean teens and adults, who spent up to Rs 15,000 on them, set it aside for want of better city roads.
“In our country, roads are unsuitable for such devices. They may lead to accidents or traffic jams,“ says Anejat Rao, a journalism student from CMS Jain University.
Mayank Bagrecha, a technophile, says using them on Indian roads could lead to serious injuries in the learning stages. “I speak from personal experience,” he adds.
The footpaths are in hardly in a better condition, adds Roshan Manoharan. Moreover, steep slopes and obstacles also present problems.
He finds it absurd that people spend as much as Rs 15,000 on such a contraption.
“There seem to be about 200 hoverboards in Bengaluru, going by the ads on Olx,” says BCom graduate Pusthak Nag.
He bought his on the Skywings, he says, and moves around the house on it, as it makes doing his chores more fun.
Sugriv Madhusudan, who lives in an independent house near Manyata Tech Park, uses his hoverboard within his colony.
“I got it shipped in from Bangkok. And as I had expected, it turned out great,” he says.
He uses it along the colony’s well-maintained roads. So, perhaps, the device would be convenient for residents of gated communities and the larger university campuses.
How many?
On websites like Myskywings.com and Olx, hoverboards are available in different colours. Some metallic-plated while others have a matte finish.
Hoverboards with a lithium battery charger, a key that helps operate device and the manual.
Pusthak Nag, a BCom graduate who owns a hoverboard, puts the number circulating in the city on Olx between 100 and 150.