Highlights
- The Dubai resident carried a cone-like object on the back of his cycle in memory of the 1963 photograph which showed India’s first space rocket being transported for its launch from Thumba in Kerala.
- Last year, he rode along with his friend Raja, a tourist in Dubai, and both of them mounted their cycles with blender to make a smoothie during the ride.
Indian expat Ajmal Poyakkara Mahamood in Dubai has extended an extraordinary tribute to India’s first rocket launch by recreating an iconic picture from back in the time.
Tribute to India’s first rocket launch
Dressed in a white shirt and grey pants, Ajmal caught the attention of residents at the Dubai Ride this year. The Dubai resident carried a cone-like object on the back of his cycle in memory of the 1963 photograph which showed India’s first space rocket being transported for its launch from Thumba in Kerala.
“I am a Keralite and I wanted to pay homage to my land and its people,” said Ajmal. “It was in November 1963 that the rocket was launched from Thumba. I also wanted to highlight how bicycles have always been an integral part of people’s lives, be it for daily activities or history-altering events like the rocket launch.”
The 31-year-old avid athlete who works as a producer in Dubai invested in a classic cycle for the event and proudly rode over the 12km route for Dubai Ride.
Ajmal has been a part of the ride since its inaugural session in 2020 and has cycled to a theme every year. Last year, he rode along with his friend Raja, a tourist in Dubai, and both of them mounted their cycles with blender to make a smoothie during the ride. It was dedicated to Raja’s business venture that was striving for zero waste.
Dubai Ride 2022
The UAE’s busiest roads transform into a giant cycling track when thousands of cyclists hit Sheikh Zayed Road and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard for a once-a-year opportunity to take part in one of Dubai’s biggest community events.
Almost 35,000 people, some as young as 3, came to the third edition of Dubai Ride as cyclists took over the desert city yet again.
ISRO launch
It was 53 years ago, on November 21 1963, that a small rocket took off from Thumba on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram, announcing the birth of the modern space age in India. The sleepy palm-fringed village soon came to be known as Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launch Station (TERLS) and later became Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
