CREATIVE DIRECTOR, APPAREL DESIGNER, ALLEYCAT ORGANIZER, TOY MAKER AND PRODUCER OF OTHER dope GOODS.
Where’d you grow up? Whats your story? If you weren’t born in the city – how’d you get here?
I was born in India, and move to Canada when I was 2. I grew up in Chinatown (in Ottawa), and back then we were one of the first Sikh families in the area. Most of the neighbourhood was made up of Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants so there was a sense of acceptance – we’re all trying to get our bag. Not a lot of people knew about Sikhism and a lot of them were friendly and genuinely curious about it but that being said I also had to deal with ignorance and racism growing up.
When I was a kid we’d go on walks and I loved looking at all the graffiti and art around the city. I knew early on that I wanted to do something creative. My parents never pushed the doctor or lawyer thing – like most immigrant parents – they just wanted us to do things we were passionate about and be happy.
I went to Carleton University in Ottawa and studied Interactive Multimedia Design where I focused on Human Computer Interaction and Graphic Design. I love to dabble in things and did everything from web design, game development, branding, marketing, etc. At the time, all the creative jobs were in Toronto, so any chance I got, I’d come down.
In Toronto, I mainly lived in Chinatown and Parkdale. Back then the city was different, the vibe was different. I met and made friends with a lot of amazing talented (local) artists – Eliscer, Zion, Jimmy Chiale, Yung Yemi. Everyone had their unique styles, and they were all extremely passionate and skilled in their crafts. We didn’t have a lot, but we all made it work – everyone was hustling. During the weekdays I’d work on my freelance jobs and during the evenings I worked on my own projects. I found a course on silkscreening and learned how to do that. I learned 3d and designed my own toys and characters. I got into graffiti and tagging and making stickers and sticker bombing the city. I got into photography and cinematography. I’m always trying to learn new skills and trying to better myself.
Who or what got you into the scene?Who or what got you into the scene?
In around 2016, I was freelancing at an animation studio and I randomly got a call from Adam – @adamthecurator (at the time we didn’t really know each other that well but we shared a lot of the same friends circles) – he saw one of my stickers posted up in Parkdale and gave me a shout. We linked up at Christie Pits and realized we both rode fixed (I didn’t really know any other fixed riders in the city back then). We started hanging out more and more and would bike to different parts of the city. We’d grab drinks and snacks and talk about everything – everything – our goals, our passions, what we were working on, our projects, our struggles, our pains, everything. I got more involved in the cycling community and started volunteering at Bike Pirates and going to cycling events around the city.
At the time the only fixed gear group ride I heard of was Monday Night Rehab run by Steve Carty but it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. I didn’t have a kit or helmet, I didn’t ride fast (still don’t), I didn’t care about riding in a peloton – it just wasn’t quite what I wanted.
Thats where Adam and I decided to create Global Fixed Gear and more specifically TarckTuesday. A fixed gear only mob ride to dope parts/parks in the city where we’d hang out, drink, had board meetings, ate snacks, etc. Every week I’d design a sick poster and we’d share it on our socials. You didn’t need a flashy bike, as long as it was fixed – you could come. If you wanted to try switching to fixed and were a bit hesitant you could join us with a single speed, but the next time you rolled with us it had to be switched to fixed. And you didn’t have to ride brakeless (although it was encouraged). Little by little more and more fixed gear riders started coming out. We’d go to other group rides and connected with other crews – Roadkill, SendIt, Toronto Cruisers. I gotta give a huge shoutout to Jeff (Doki Industries, Roadkill) – he ran a lot of alleycats and (unknowingly) inspired me to run my own.
What inspires/motivates you?
One of the biggest sources of motivation is my parents. Knowing how much they had to sacrifice and how hard they worked to raise us – it feels like it’d be a waste if I didn’t do more. Growing up I used to feel ways when I’d see other kids with the nice stuff. I remember when I was in grade school there was this girl in art class who’d always have the fanciest pens and art supplies. I’d get so jealous and be resentful towards my parents but as I got older I realized that it wasn’t the fancy pens that made her good, it was her talent. A lot of my skills are self taught. If I don’t know something I’ll do my research. If it doesn’t seem too hard I’ll take a stab at it.
When GFG was created, the cycling industry was dominated by rich white guys and the barrier for entry was so high. So one of the big things that made GFG so special was that it was run by people of color and we really didn’t care about what bike you had – whether it was a track bike, a conversion, or a beater – as long as it was fixed.
What do you represent, why are you doing the things you’re doing? What are your goals?
I’ve always tried to represent my communities and connect with like-minded people. I don’t care about how flashy/expensive your bike is, how much money you have, or how many followers you have on social media, none of it. I’m always looking to make genuine connections with people that are passionate, and trying to do something.
I also love the fact that when I’m running my alleycats I get all types of people/crews showing support. Whether they’re gay, straight, trans, black, white, brown, asian, messengers, fixiegoons, hooligans, new riders, old heads – everyone comes out and shows their love and support. It definitely feels like I’m doing things the right way.
Do you have a quote or proverb that you live by? And maybe if you want, explain what it means to you and how resonates with you.
One of my favourite quotes is ‘Prove Them Wrong’ and it feels like I’ve been doing that my whole life. I’ve been told I can’t do things because its too ambitious, or too hard, or not possible. I get really irritated when people try to put these limits on me and try telling me what I can or can’t do. And I always feel like telling these haters ‘Its too ambitious -for you, its too hard -for you, its impossible -for you’. You sit back and do nothing, watch me show you how its done.
Another quote I live by is ‘I don’t wag my tail for no body’ – I don’t care who you are at the end of the day everyone is equal, we’re all human. I treat everyone with the same level of respect. It’s only when people do shady/shitty things that I lose my respect for them.
If you could give any advice to your younger self what you would tell them?
Be your true self, keep your head up, be proud of who you are, and don’t get caught in the bullshit. Everything else will fall into place. As a Sikh and person of color, I’ve dealt with a lot of ignorance and racism in my life. I let a lot of things slide just to fit in, and I realized that by not being my genuine self I was this fake imposter. Be your genuine self and the real good people who like you for you will come into your life. Don’t change who you are to fit in with other people – Those aren’t the people you wanna be around.
