Most people ride motorcycles in India without wearing a helmet. This is a major issue in a country like India where the majority of the population travels via two-wheelers. Taking this into cognizance and to enhance awareness and increase adoption of helmets as essential companions for millions of riding enthusiasts in India, Royal Enfield has partnered with Helmets For India, a not-for-profit, creative initiative aimed at bringing about a positive change in the mass perception of wearing a helmet and improving road safety in India.
How does it work?
This collaboration will unlock the potential of a widespread and passionate Royal Enfield ecosystem – unified community, expansive retail network, etc – for Helmets For India and will allow the initiative a larger canvas to mobilize influential voices and inspire action towards the cause. The collaboration will also allow Royal Enfield to deepen its commitment towards its social mission of Responsible Travel, and in general encourage the adoption of safe riding gear for riders, especially helmets.
Conceived in 2018, Helmets For India is an initiative started by Niels-Peter Jensen, a German film-maker and former world champion mountain bike racer, who, during his first visit to India was profoundly affected by a road mishap involving a young two-wheeler rider. Feeling compelled to take charge and influence change, Niels initiated ‘Helmets For India’ with the motto of Safe ride for everyone, everywhere! Helmets For India has since used self-expression and art as a means of inspiration to unite the global motorcycle community and raise awareness for the cause of educating millions on the need to wear a helmet.
To kickstart this collaboration, Helmets For India and Royal Enfield have put together a unique global artist’s collective initiative wherein world-renowned artists will create unique and evocative expressions on helmets which will then be auctioned to raise funds for the cause of helmet safety. Over 25 global artists’, including Jet Bailey, Ron Miller, Sankskar Sawant, and Francesco Colombo’s helmet graffiti designs will be unveiled across Royal Enfield’s social media channels as well as the Helmets For India website. The final artworks will join the 30 previously created for Helmets For India last year, to take part in a prestigious exhibition and auction in India later this year. Entire proceeds from the auction will be donated to an Indian NGO that rehabilitates children who have suffered serious head injuries in road traffic accidents.
Official statement
Govindarajan, Executive Director, Royal Enfield, said, “Nurturing a culture of safe riding among enthusiasts has been a significant aspect of building the pure motorcycling experience for us at Royal Enfield. Awareness towards road safety, ensuring the adoption of the right kind of riding gear, and most importantly, helmet safety have been key pillars of this objective. Helmets For India is a unique initiative inspiring riders by positioning and showcasing helmets as an extension of their personality in addition to being a critical safety gear. This worked well with our own ethos of motorcycling being a means of self-expression and we are very happy to be partnering with Niels and Helmets For India.”
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