Women on wheels

Swati Rai

A ride on a bike has come a long way from being a male dominion. Like-minded women with interest in all things bike are increasingly claiming the mean machines and taming the roads together.

First brush 

Gurugram-based furniture restoration artist Mandy Merweh (48), aka Artist on a Motorcycle, grew up in the Middle East where it was illegal for women to ride bikes. As such, she hit the road pretty late. A regular participant in group rides, especially if there is a woman rider in there, says it is wonderful to listen to the stories and experiences of other riders.

An active part of biker groups such as Delhi Bikerni and Harley Owners Group, Chandigarh-based Indian Air Force officer Jyoti Mehta, 47, goes out with her group every weekend. Though her initiation into the world of bikes came about as early as 16 years of age, she took to biking regularly when she acquired a Harley about four years ago.

Many of India’s women bikers are riding with Women’s International Motorcycle Association (WIMA). Among them is 37-year-old fitness instructor Anita Krishnan. Head of WIMA’s India leg, she began riding a mobike two decades ago but took to adventure riding only as recently as 2015. Also part of WIMA, Gurugram-based scribe Manjula Narayan sees this congregation as one of similar interests. “Riders have this sense of community, a sense of belonging with people having similar interests, perhaps a streak of eccentricity too. This is similar to runners, cyclists or marathoners coming together. Of course, you have to be outdoorsy to do all this and relish it!” However, how one takes to riding, she says, is personal and depends on one’s freedom to do things and on “where you are in life.”

What binds them...

So, what is it that makes these women ride as a pack? For Mandy, riding with her ‘tribe of riders’, as she calls them, is a journey of support. She occasionally rides with mixed groups too, but finds all-women rides more intimate. “That is because we get to share each others’ stories and experiences candidly. And being smaller groups, it is natural to form bonds with the other women easily,” she says. Mehta says every woman is in it for the love of motorcycles. “This bond is beyond brands and the cost of vehicle. The comfort level with riding in an all-women group is unmatchable. Everyone speaks the same language despite coming from varied economic and educational background, status and professions, etc. There is absolutely no discrimination of any kind,” Mehta shares.

Men versus women?

The act of women riding bikes is often derided as women trying to enter masculine space. The notion is debunked by Mehta. “I have been riding motorcycles in Chandigarh since 1988 and was probably one of the few girls doing that around then. So, the attention around something which has been a routine for me is a nuisance I have learned to accept,” she says.

For Krishnan, an all women group is different from a men’s group for the love and connect involved. “It feels great when we independently resolve technical glitches or any other issues on the road. Handling a breakdown on your own makes one feel absolutely independent.” That doesn’t happen when you are riding with men as it comes naturally to fellow male riders to be protective of women in the group. “So, in a way, it gets easier but surely more challenging and fun to troubleshoot when riding along with women bikers!” says Narayan. Mandy, who spearheads a training academy for women riders, sums it just right when she says: “The machine doesn’t discriminate, so why should we?”