How a Stalled Bike Rally in Lucknow Gave Birth to the World’s Largest Helmet Empire

Zomato, India’s biggest food delivery company, had a problem: How do you get lakhs of delivery partners to wear helmets while on duty? 

The challenge fell to Studds Accessories, India’s largest two-wheeler helmet maker. The initial solution seemed simple enough: provide riders with helmets equipped with a Bluetooth connection to their phones, ensuring real-time data flow to Zomato’s management. An electrical connection was embedded in the buckle, closing the circuit and signaling that the helmet was theoretically "worn".

But, in the land of shortcuts and jugaad, this solution often resulted in clever bypasses. Riders quickly learned that they ...