VISAKHAPATNAM: “My 6,000 km-long trip is not just for seeing the country. I want to send a message to women that India is a safer place for them than it is assumed to be. There is mistrust among women that they are not safe when they are alone. Through my trip, I wish to prove to them that the situation is not so bad,” said Esha Gupta, the first female solo rider who is travelling from Bangalore to New Delhi, covering 6,000 km, using the highways along the Golden Quadrilateral.
A native of Lucknow, Esha Gupta visited the Port City Tuesday, on her way to Kolkata. Addressing an interactive session organised by the CII Young Indians-Vizag Chapter, Esha said that by travelling alone extensively, she wanted to prove that the country had forgotten that we were surrounded by positive and good people as against the negativity spread by anti-social elements.
“My 40-day solo ride is meant to shift the people’s focus towards the strength and optimism existing amid our countrymen. I want to take India towards that progress all of us talk about but seldom do anything about.”
The students, on the occasion, inquired about Esha’s experiences and the logistical problems she faced as a lone woman biker. Responding to this, she specified that this kind of curiosity was what was making her ride such a long distance, spreading a powerful message that India was not as unsafe a country as made out to be. “Let us not step back into dark ages. Instead, let’s fight this fear,” she called on the girl students of various colleges.
Young Indians (Vizag Chapter) past chair Poonam Shah welcomed the speaker. The session was lively and interactive with YI members and students from GVP College for Degree and PG Courses, St Joseph College for Women and GITAM Institute of Management in attendance.