“Dug Dug: A film inspired by India's motorcycle god” https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-59036542
Ritwik Pareek監督*1の印度映画Dug Dugが話題になっている。
ストーリーはこんな感じ；
この映画は、印度ラジャスタン州パリ*2にあるモーター・バイクを神として祀るヒンドゥー教寺院にインスパイアされたもの。
An inebriated man driving a motorcycle on a highway is run over by a truck. Next morning, his vehicle disappears from police custody and mysteriously surfaces on the same spot where he had died. Hauled back to the police station, the motorcycle keeps returning to the roadside scene of the accident. A combination of village intrigue and superstition soon lifts the dead man into a saint and his motorcycle a deity in the desert state of Rajasthan.
ご利益は交通安全。
The deity of the roadside temple is an old Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle kept on a pedestal. The motorcycle belonged to local resident Om Singh Rathore who died in an accident on the highway connecting Jodhpur to Jaipur city more than three decades ago.The temple, popularly known as the "Bullet Baba" (Baba in Hindi means saint) temple, is a favourite spot for truck drivers on long hauls who stop at Pali to offer prayers to keep them safe on the country's tricky highways.
さて、 Royal Enfield Bulletというモーターサイクルのブランドは、英国人にとってはかなり感慨深いものがあるようだ。記事の最後にブランドの年表が添えられている；
さて、BBCは2014年にもこのバイク神社を取り上げていたのだった；
1893. Originally a bicycle manufacturer, Royal Enfield derives its name from making parts for the Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield
1901. Produces its first motorised bikes in Britain
1914-18. In World War One, the Redditch-based firm supplies motorbikes to British, Belgian, French, US and Russian armies
1932. Builds the legendary "Bullet" motorcycle, featuring the inclined "sloper" engine
1939-45. Produces military motorbikes as well as bicycles, generators and anti-aircraft guns in World War Two - most famously the "Flying Flea", for use by parachutists and glider troops
1960s. The cultural heyday of classic motorbikes, but many brands struggle including Royal Enfield
1970. Ceases UK operations, its Indian subsidiary takes over production
1994. India's Eicher Motors buys Enfield India, renaming it Royal Enfield Motors Limited
2020. UK is still a key market - its Interceptor 650 is the best-selling middleweight motorcycle
“India: Devotees pray for motorcycle 'blessings'” https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-27255553
