Motorbike riding is, by and large, associated with men. However, many Indian women these days are keen to ride gear and speed motorbikes. Bikerni, a Pune-based all-women motorcycle club with nearly 1,000 members, aims at women empowerment through biking. The women of Odisha are not far behind. Orissa POST caught up with a few women motorbike enthusiasts who spoke about their motivation behind taking up the sport.
Sangeeta Sahoo, a mother of two, wanted to ride motorbikes even as a young girl. She recollected, “My uncle had a Rajdoot motorcycle and I was keen to ride it. He taught me how to ride the bike. In those days, girls preferred to ride a scooter. But I was fascinated by motorbikes. Many people told me not to ride a bike as it was a ‘manly’ thing. But I didn’t pay heed as I definitely did not agree with their view. For me, it was all about passion, and gender had nothing to do with it.”
Sangeeta’s interest in biking helped her make some good like-minded friends. They not only ride bikes but are involved in many social activities. The group recently planted saplings in some areas ahead of the monsoon as part of an effort to green the city battered by cyclonic storm Fani. Sangeeta believes that nothing is unachievable for a woman if she puts her heart and soul into it. Her family thinks so too. “My husband and his family respect my passion for biking. I also want to bring up my daughters in a manner that they can take care of themselves in any given situation. They are learning martial arts for self-defence and are involved in other sports also,” said Sangeeta who now rides a Royal Enfield Bullet.
R15 rider Sikshyata Chhatoi said, “I have visited several places of Odisha on a bike, sometimes alone and sometimes with my group. I like to go on a trip to the rural areas of the state. This is because people in villages believe that girls should get married early and restrict themselves to household activities. My sole objective of visiting rural Odisha is to bring about a change in the discriminatory approach of society towards women. I tell them that riding a bike or taking up any other profession is as normal for women as for men.”
At a time when women are working as pilots, loco pilots and in other physically demanding professions, no sport should be considered gender-specific, added Sikshyata. She has decided to marry a person who will understand and accept her passion.
Arshia did her BBA from KIIT University and has recently taken up a job. She is all praise for her father who gifted her a speed bike KTM Duke 250. “He noticed my interest in bikes. Once he found me using my male friend’s bike. So, he bought me a bike without any hesitation. Initially, it was difficult to find a group in the city as women riders are a minority. But the number increased gradually, and I am now part of a group of all-women bike riders. We not only bike but work for the cause of society as well.”
Arshia hopes to travel the length and breadth of the country on her bike.
BRATATI BARAL, OP
