Dedicate Padma Shri to parents: Avon chairman

Chairman of Avon Cycles Onkar Singh Pahwa has been conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri award, one of the highest honours in the country. It was a huge surprise for Pahwa when an acquaintance broke the news to him over the phone late on January 25, which he then shared with his immediate family members.

Thanking the government for choosing him for the award, Pahwa said that he was also grateful to his family, his team and well-wishers, who always stood by him in thick and thin. “It is actually my whole team with whose efforts and support I have achieved the milestone,” said Pahwa, adding that he was dedicating the award to his parents.

In a brief interaction this evening, Pahwa said that the journey began in 1973. Over the years, it has been a roller-coaster ride. He said that in those days there were no facilities like courier service, mobile phones or cars, etc. “At times, I used to go to Mumbai/Delhi in trains just to get a few papers signed and come back. Finance was also a major issue in the initial years. But we are happy that the company has reached a turnover of Rs 1,150 crore (last year). I thank the Almighty for everything in life. He has been too kind,” said Pahwa. He also said that during all these decades, the bicycle industry had witnessed a sea change.

Providing more details about his journey, Pahwa shared that there were 2,000 dealers of Avon in India and today every kind of bicycle, e-bike, fancy cycle, regular standard bicycle, autorickshaw, fitness equipment is catered to by the company.

Pahwa added that safe cycling infrastructure needed to be given to people, especially to schoolchildren. He said, “In our times, almost every child came to school on a bicycle, but today parents don’t allow children to go on bicycles just because of safety concerns”, said Pahwa. He said that bicycles were more for recreation and exercise for children these days, which they wish to change every year.