‘Shernis’ as ‘Bikerni’ dare to ride to Freedom

TNI Bureau: Gone are the days when only men used to ride the high-end motor bikes while women had to be content with small scooters/scooties. While girls have gone aggressive in other parts of the country, Odisha is not far behind. A group of 5 women bikers have formed a club to break the stereotype, breach the convention and show the world that they have arrived here not just because of passion, but with a strong message for everyone.

The ‘Bikerni Gang’ comprising of 5 lionesses (Shernis) took a ride to Anshupa from Bhubaneswar with their high-end motorbikes. Their fun trip turned out to be a turning point in busting the myth of gender dominance in the state and motivated many girls to join the undeclared ‘Ride to Freedom’ movement.

When these super girls rode high-end bikes to hit the streets, they grabbed the eyeballs of passersby. Some felt amused, some curious and some jealous. The “male ego” factor was there. But, these girls don’t bother. They just want to ride with freedom, continue with their passion and interest. They don’t want to suppress their feelings. Lagging behind in anything, is certainly not something they can digest. And, they are spirited enough to chase their dreams.

“Bikerni is the first all female motorcycle association of India that was formed around 2011. Every city has own chapter. Odisha chapter never existed until now. When we realised there are many female bikers in Odisha as well, we somehow connected, and created the group. And, yes, we are growing, says Proshish Golyan, one of the founder members of this group.

Apart from Proshish, Arshia Musarrat, Barsha Priyambada, Niralee Nirlipta and Priyanka Ghosal too took part in the trip to Anshupa. While Niralee owns a Royal Enfield Classic, Barsha and Arshia love to ride KTM Duke 250. Proshish Golyan rides Royal Enfield to chase her dream. For Priyanka Ghosal, it’s KTM Duke 200 that gives her the power.

Arshia Musarrat, one of the members of Bikerni Odisha Chapter, bares it all. “The aim is not to put men into shame or defeat them. But, yes, we love to prove our mettle when mocked, taunted or challenged. There is nothing which women can’t do if they are determined,” she says.

“I have always been versatile with almost everything in life. Not that I accept myself as super talented but I always challenge myself for the better. I have been active in sports while I was in school and always wanted to know little more than what I’ve known before. I’m definitely not a feminist; hence fighting a particular gender doesn’t interest me, but sometimes when you are suppressed as a gender, it becomes a challenge to overpower the other”, she added.

While narrating an incident when a male biker could not tolerate her riding at a high speed and kept overtaking her on the Puri Bypass road, Arshia revealed that she had to step in, took it up as a challenge and win the unofficial race.

“I did not intend to race with him. But, he kept on chasing me. Perhaps, he wanted to stay ahead of me. But, I wanted to put an end to it. I could find the only way to get out of it – to make him lose to me so that he did not indulge in reckless driving again putting his life as well as of others at risk”, reveals Arshia.

Arshia wanted to give two messages to the society as well as women:

1. I would like to quote Mary Wollstonecraft, English writer and philosopher who said, “I don’t wish women to have power over men but over themselves”. So, I want women who have biking as a passion to start young and identify the need for passion in life and feed the passion accordingly. Life sometime can get boring if you have nothing to feel alive about.
2. I don’t talk about women empowerment while riding a bike. I talk about the freedom of a human being of a woman as an individual and breaking the shackles of life. Freedom of following your passion and letting it takes you places.

 “Bike riding is a passion for us. We are professionals at different positions, but when it comes to biking, we are united and rare to go. We are here to encourage girls and have fun too. Any girl, who wants to be part of the group, can join us. Not necessarily, they would ride super bikes. It’s all about passion of riding bikes. Whatever bikes they own, they can come and join us. If you are confident about yourself, nothing can stop you,” says Barsha Priyambada, a member of the Bikerni group.

“We also want to make it clear that we are not here to win any gender battles. We just want to be at par. There is no fight at all. We expect the men to encourage and commend us for showing our love and passion towards bikes. We ride for peace and fun, not to shame others. And, while riding, safety should be the first priority”, she added.

“I have been passionate about bikes ever since I started as a pillion rider. Bikes made me feel free and gave the essence of nature during travels. I started learning it when I was barely 17. I defied the criticism, taunts and all negative feedback although it did affect me in the beginning. But, I never gave up and proved all my critics wrong. I proved my worth. My message – Ride for no cause. Ride to know yourself better. We, as a group, are trying as much as possible to expand our Bikerni Odisha team so that next time when people see a female riding a bike, would encourage them and treat them at par instead of trying to bully them,” says Priyanka Ghosal, one of the Bikerni members.

“Well for me, riding is only focus. I want to travel, it’s not the Kilometres, it’s about how passionate a rider is. How much cc bike someone owns, doesn’t matter. It’s about pure riding,” says Bikerni Niralee Nirlipta.

“I preferred solo riding for the last 12 years before I joined this group. Over the years, all I did was fearless biking irrespective of my height and weight. You will always find people who would try to pull you down. Either give them a straight answer or stay away. To be honest, being an extrovert, I choose them to pay back in the same coin whenever I am confronted. I am doing the right job and I care a damn for what critics say,” she adds.

“I thank my friends, well wishers and my parents who never discriminated on the basis of gender. A few Bikers, who always boosted my biking spirit, are indeed my soul brothers. I feel it’s not a rocket science to be a Biker. You need to have passion and interest. In future, I want to travel more and spread awareness on various issues of public interest. My message to budding bikers would be – Ride, Ride Safe, Be a Rider by Heart, Let Riding spirit be your pride, not Ego,” concludes Niralee.

Another female biker Manisha Behera, an IIT Graduate, who now works as an Assistant Executive Engineer with State Govt, is passionate about bikes since 7th standard. She started with her father’s bikes and then there was no looking back. She loves solo riding and made a trip to Kolkata, Vizag, Koraput, Angul, Sambalpur, Berhampur, Chilika etc. She now owns a Yamaha Fz, but wants to upgrade to higher cc bike early next year. She missed the trip this time, but intends to make it next time.

These young, dashing yet energetic girls have a mission – to make biking a part of lifestyle for women who love to ride, but suppress their feelings and passion. They want to expand their team and form a strong group of Bikerni in Odisha and spread awareness among the young girls so that they get the confidence and strength to chase their dreams.

Copyright @ The News Insight