Malayali women's Kashmir adventure fuelled by teen love for thump
It was something they had dreamt of since they were teenagers. A dream that sprouted from a shared fascination for motorcycles, and the thump. They wanted to be riders. For Shyni C V, that passion has now become as essential as breathing. For Uma Mahesh, the enduring love has slowly turned into a realisation. And for Nishi Khan, it felt like finally coming home. The three women, all in their 40s, recently completed a Kanniyakumari-to-Kashmir ride. That teenage dream has now evolved into a lifestyle for the trio. Uma, who heads a business in Kochi, knew how to ride a motorcycle by 18. But she mustered the confidence to get one for herself only last year. When I was a young woman, people looked at me differently for riding a motorcycle, she recalls. Stare I got meant I had to stop. And I was given a gender-appropriate two-wheeler instead. But the call of the thump persisted. After years spent building a career and family, she finally decided to go full throttle. I met Shyni, who is an ace rider. She had done five all-India trips, Uma says. Nishi Khan, Shyni C V and Uma Mahesh pose in front of the CRPF camp in Jammu Nishi, too, received her licence as soon as she turned 18. But I was never able to buy a motorcycle for myself, she rues. It was during the lockdown that I rekindled my dream, thanks in part to social media reels. Soon, she bought her dream machine. She also came to know of Shyni during a Womens Day celebration. Quite poetic, isnt it? The trio soon decided to embark on an adventure: a Kanniyakumari-to-Kashmir ride with a cause Say No To Drugs. Among riders in India, Shyni is a familiar figure. Her driving school in Thiruvananthapuram trains women to ride motorcycles. And taking Nishi and Uma on their maiden long-distance ride is something she was always happy to do. The trio set off from Kanniyakumari. But as we started crossing geographies, things became difficult, recalls Uma. What kept us on the road was that thrill, that excitement of reaching a new place. They reached Delhi amid a flood. Our planned schedule drowned in the waters and we were stuck there for a week, Nishi says. Rain followed them all the way to Kashmir. There were floods. All the roads were damaged. It was pouring everywhere, says Uma. The trio at Kanniyakumari It took the trio 20 days to cover over 3,400km from Kanniyakumari to Kashmir. After spending a few days there, Uma returned to Kochi via Goa and Nishi took a detour from Chandigarh with another biker group headed to Ladakh, before returning to Thiruvananthapuram. Shyni, who accompanied Uma till Goa, headed back to Rajasthan for another impromptu all-India ride. Called the first woman Iron Butt of India, she is on her sixth cross-country trip. I reached Guwahati from Patna today. And after speaking at a school to students about the dark side of drugs and addiction, I will ride on first to the ongoing Hornbill Festival in Nagaland, and then to Arunachal Pradesh, Shyni says over phone. Inspired, Uma and Nishir are dreaming of even more journeys.
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