HYDERABAD: Their motto says, “Mud to makeup and petrol to perfume.” The Bikerni Group surely knows how to defy the stereotypes. The Hyderabad Chapter of the group organised a midnight ride from People’s Plaza in Necklace Road to Charminar. Saturday evening at Taramati Baradari was all about women inspiring women to drive, break boundaries and smash stereotypes.
Sameera Dahia, 29, from Sonepat, Haryana, says she found her peace in biking. Sameera, who left her job as a software engineer, wants women to hold on to the passion of biking even after they get married and get busy with family. For Jilmil Kakoti Bhuyan from Guwahati, a mother of two, it’s her husband’s support that still keeps her on track and gives her the motivation to pursue her passion.
The event, which brought all of them together to the city, was held to mark the 11th International Female Ride Day (IFRD) which believes in breaking gender stereotype and encouraging women riders. The midnight ride was a way to highlight how the city is safe for both men and women. Charminar was chosen to showcase that this part of the city is as safe as the rest. Women with gearless two-wheelers too were allowed to participate in the event.
About 70 women riders marked their presence for the event hailing from different states of the country. “This year we have bikers from Nainital, Qatar, and Northeastern states as well, making their way to Hyderabad,” says Jai Bharathi, who leads the Hyderabad chapter. Since its inception in 2013, the idea was to make bike riding a norm and not a fashion statement, adds Bharathi. She seems hopeful that the event would encourage more women to take up biking. The two-day event also featured an “Evening with Riders” to felicitate women riders across the country. The audience was shown several videos of women riders undertaking biking expeditions as well.
Once a small group of female riders, The Bikerni group – founded by Urvashi Patole in 2011 – has become a common platform for theses riders now. Over the years, “The Bikerni has expanded to become a group of over 1,100 plus members,”says Urvashi. The group has different chapters across the country with different zones and their respective heads and admins. It is interesting to see how apart from organising motorcycle rides, rallies like Bikers Week or Rider Mania, the Bikernis also participate and volunteer in a number of causes related to women.
On the one hand, where the word “Rider”, generally attributing a male seems a thing of the past now, bike riding is still considered a male-dominated area. It is this concept that The Bikernis wish to change. The common passion brings these women together to undertake rides and journeys on the two wheels simply because they love to do so.
Twenty-nine year-old Sameera Dahiya from Sonepat, Haryana talks about how she found peace in biking. It has been 18 months since she took up biking.
“I used to see bikers riding to Ladakh and found it amazing. Little did I know, I would start riding soon too.” Hailing from a conservative family, she is still not accepted by her father. Her mother chooses to keep mum on this matter and supports her silently.
Sameera left her job as a software engineer to take up biking professionally. She has been an independent instructor ever since. “My first student was a 60-year-old lady,” says Sameera. “There is still a long way for us to be accepted as bikers in the society,” says Sameera. One of the longest ride that she has undertaken was a trip from Bengaluru to Leh-Spiti which is around 5,000kms. Women like Sameera cut through the wind to attain such feats proving that they are no less than any men.
Female bikers garner more than a few raised eyebrows when they hit the roads. The sight of a woman on a motorbike isn’t as common in the country as it should be – but most female riders don’t consider themselves to be undertaking anything extraordinary or unnatural. For some, they represent the few bold Indian women prepared to manoeuvre their way around the patriarchy with confidence, refusing to bow down by the pervasive narrative that women are ‘unsafe’ alone on the street.
Jilmil Kakoti Bhuyan, 29, from Guwahati, Assam has been riding bikes since the age of 12. A mother of two young daughters, she had to stop riding for six years. “My husband made me take up biking again. If it wasn’t his encouragement, I wouldn’t have started again,” says Jilmil.
Talking about the Northeastern states, she finds the scope of biking limited for women there as well. “It’s alright till the time I have the helmet on, once I take it off, I am made to realise I am a woman,” she adds. Jilmil finds herself lucky enough to have a family who is supportive about her biking. She has been associated with the Bikernis for the past one year and calls it a great initiative to boost women’s morale towards bike riding. Since its inception in 2013, the idea was to make bike riding a norm and not a fashion statement.