Athira Murali – The Professional Lady Driver in Kerala
Q) Tell us about yourself?
A) I am Athira Murali from Kottayam, Kerala. I completed my Bachelors in Computer Applications (BCA). As my interest is in the field of automobiles, I am now pursuing a short term course in Mechanical Engineering from Regional Institute of Engineering in Thiruvananthapuram.
https://youtu.be/1rx6lGh46kA
Q) How long have you been riding / driving and describe on how you got to where you are with your passion of driving today.
A) I started riding at the age of 12. The very first vehicle I learned riding was my dad’s motorcycle- the Suzuki Max 100. My dad used to drive Lorries to transport loads from quarries. My task was to collect money for the trips done by him. So I used his bike for the same.
We also had a Mahindra Jeep and a year later seeing my interest; my dad taught me driving a four wheeler. Then I also started driving a 3-tonner mini truck when I was just in my 10th Class!
Gradually, I tried my hands on heavy vehicles like buses, special purpose vehicle like JCB. I always wanted to know how a JCB operates and so I headed to learn the operation and controls. I realized that it needed a lot of continuous practice to attain perfection in handling it.
My only disappointment was that I could not drive on public roads as I was not 18 and could not get a valid driving license.
As soon as I was eligible, I applied for driving license of 2wheeler, 3-wheeler, and LMV (Light Commercial Vehicle) and then at the age of 20 for the license of HPMV (Heavy Passenger Vehicle) and Heavy goods Motor Vehicle(HGMV), EXAVATOR.
Learning to ride a motorcycle was not an issue for me. It was easy for me to ride a bike in narrower roads as there was no traffic on that roads. I was so fond of vehicles since my childhood; I still remember that my mom used to serve food sitting in the cabin of the mini truck we had, only because of my stubbornness. That expressed my undying love for vehicles since childhood.
A) Apart from regular riding and driving I wanted to achieve more as a professional rider. I was interested in motorsport racing. But the problem was, I did not have any proper trainer or a rider to guide me. I started searching a lot on the internet on how to get into motorsport and slowly I got to know few things by connecting people through social networks.
Finally by the end of 2013, I got in touch with Kottayam based Sam Kurien Kalarickal (KTM Jeepers). Sam is an established off-road driver in the country and has got an off-roading training academy named R&T Autocatalyst. I was given an off-road vehicle to drive on a rough patch and impressed with my driving techniques Sam offered me to join the academy. Later he recommended by name to various off-road races which took place one by one.
Getting to Autocross racing was not an easy task. I did not own a vehicle, so I got a car sponsored by Indian National Rally Champ Dr. Bikku Babu for the race. Autocross happened in the year 2014 in a place called Chavakadu, Thrissur.
Later after getting in touch with Ashika Menezes (Bangalore) and participated in the Bangalore Autocross where I bagged the second prize in ladies category. The car I was driving then was the Maruti Esteem and was thrilled.