"Mahindra Ni Chhe, Aapda!" When an Indian Rickshaw Rolled Through London

Some sights instantly transport you home. For millions of Indians, few are as familiar as an auto-rickshaw weaving through traffic. So when one turned up on a busy street in London, the internet took notice, and so did the man whose company built it.

A video that made a billionaire beam

On 5 October, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra shared a short clip on X of a Mahindra three-wheeler, reportedly a Treo, moving through London traffic among cars and cabs. Playful Gujarati text on the screen jokes that the rickshaw has arrived in the UK and invites people to hop on for a ride.

Mahindra's caption, written in Gujarati, carried pure hometown pride: "UK ma riksha aavi gai chhe... Mahindra ni chhe, aapda", meaning "A rickshaw has come to the UK... it's Mahindra's, it's ours."

It's a small moment, but anyone who has lived abroad will recognise the feeling: spotting something from home, far from home, and wanting to tell everyone about it.

The internet joins in

The clip spread quickly, and the replies were half the fun. Plenty of users cheered what they called "reverse colonisation", delighted to see a vehicle from India's streets holding its own beside London's famous cabs and buses.

How did it get there?

It's worth keeping things in perspective. Mahindra doesn't sell its three-wheelers through UK dealers, and according to Anand Mahindra this one was brought over by a hobbyist. So this isn't a market launch. It's one rickshaw with one very happy owner.

But the moment still says something bigger about where Indian manufacturing is heading.

The bigger picture: Indian brands going global

A vehicle designed for India's crowded streets, potholes and monsoons looking perfectly at home in central London shows how far Indian engineering has come. And Mahindra's eyes on Britain go well beyond one viral rickshaw:

• A design base in England: Mahindra opened its European design studio, Mahindra Advanced Design Europe (M.A.D.E.), in Banbury, Oxfordshire, in August 2022, to create its future electric vehicles and design concepts.
• Electric ambitions: the company is reported to be preparing versions of its BE 6 and XEV 9e electric SUVs for UK and European buyers, helped by the India–UK Free Trade Agreement, under which India-made electric cars can enter the UK duty-free from the agreement's sixth year.
• Built for tough standards: Mahindra's newest vehicle architecture is being engineered to meet Euro NCAP safety norms, a key step for any carmaker hoping to sell in Europe.

The humble rickshaw has become a symbol of something larger: Indian brands are no longer just making things for India, they're making things the world wants.

Why it matters to us in Cyprus

For Indians living abroad, stories like this hit differently. We see Indian names on IT offices, ships, hospitals and restaurants across Cyprus, and we feel a quiet pride every time "Made in India" turns up somewhere unexpected.

With India and Cyprus now Strategic Partners, and Cyprus positioning itself as a gateway for Indian businesses into the European Union, perhaps it's only a matter of time before more Indian brands find their way onto our roads too.

Until then, we'll keep watching that London video with a smile and maybe a little homesickness. Aapdi riksha, aapdo garv: our rickshaw, our pride. 🛺🇮🇳

Read also: From Mumbai to New Delhi: What the Cyprus President's India Visit Means for Us

Sources: Startuppedia, TradingView News, Mahindra, Autocar India, Cartoq