It was in Class 9 when Roshni Misbah first rode a motorcycle with a friend. “I always wanted to ride a motorcycle but ‘when?’ was the question,” the motorcycle enthusiast from Delhi mentions. Today, Misbah has ridden more than 100 motorbikes and is the founder of a luxury bike store in Moti Nagar. An Arab and Islamic Studies scholar from Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), Okhla, Misbah has proved to be a source of inspiration for many young women.
Realising a dream
Misbah recalls her childhood, mentioning that she was a shy, simple girl, whose days were all about attending college, studying, and getting back home only to help her mother with household chores. Amid a routine life, she always maintained an undying love for bikes and a burning desire to make her dreams come true. It was while Misbah was preparing for her CAT exams in 2016 that it dawned upon her that she wanted to do something she was passionate about.
“I gave up on the idea of an MBA. I then thought of studying in Australia but my father didn’t allow it. My father would always ride big bikes, and I was fond of speed and two wheelers. So, I made a deal with him that if I study here, I will commute to campus on a motorcycle,” she shares. With her father agreeing to her terms, Misbah enrolled in JMI to pursue an MA in Arab Islamic Culture, and while doing so, rode a bike to college every day. “The course was immaterial. I just wanted to ride a motorcycle. That is all I have always wanted to do. I had never seen a girl on a bike before so I just wanted to ride one,” adds Misbah.
Her parents were hesitant about her riding a bike every day, but Misbah kept pushing them. “Like all mothers, my mother was concerned too. She said ‘You’ll get hurt’ and ‘Why don’t you get a car instead?’. But, I was clear of my intentions,”
Over time, Misbah did odd jobs such as working in a publishing house and saved some money. With that and a small sum that her father pooled, Misbah bought her first bike—a Bajaj 220cc cruiser. “Everyone thinks my father is very rich and he is the one who buys me everything! But it isn’t like that. My parent’s moral support was enough. I pay my own bills, buy my own bikes, and live my dream,” she says.
In about three months, Misbah upgraded to superbikes. The will to own efficient machines kept increasing and so did her motorcycle collection, which currently includes eight superbikes. She owns a Kawasaki Ninja H2, one of the fastest bikes allowed on Indian streets, along with other models such as the Yamaha YZF-R1, Suzuki Intruder M1800R, Triumph Rocket, and Suzuki Hayabusa. In 2020, Misbah translated her passion into her profession by launching ‘The Bikers World India’, a store in Moti Nagar that deals in superbikes and cars as well as accessories. “I was very fond of riding different bikes. Back then, I was associated with one brand and I thought why not work with more brands. So I started the store,” she says.
Achieving her goals
Till date, Misbah has covered over a lakh in kilometres on bikes by touring across India. She has ridden from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and has completed traversing the Golden Quadrilateral and travelled across Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai.
Even though she has received immense support, the criticism, she shares, never ends. “One cannot identify the gender in a helmet but as soon as people get to know it is a girl driving the bike, who is also Muslim, they talk,” she mentions. Misbah says she draws inspiration from her parents. “The support of your family can take you places,” she says.
With over two lakh followers on Instagram, she is often referred to as the ‘Hijabi Biker’, though she confirms that she doesn't wear the full hijab but covers her head at all times. “It is not important that if you are driving a bike, you dress in ripped jeans or sport a boy cut. You drive the way you are comfortable. One can follow their fashion and still be able to drive bikes,” she says.
Addressing the recent row in the country on hijab, Misbah concludes, “It is a free world and you are allowed to wear whatever you want to, so why not be allowed to cover yourself. If you want to achieve something, you can do it from your mind and not from what you are wearing."