Meet the First Indian Female Biker to Ride Solo From Kanyakumari to Kashmir
Roshni Sharma, 30, started riding a bike at the age of 16. But she didn’t stop at just learning it for fun or riding around traffic jams. Her love and passion for riding bikes today has become an example and inspiration for all women bike riders in India who see her as their role model. When a friend of Roshni told her about his plan to take a road trip from North India to South India, she was set on fire to embark on this challenging road trip herself. Before her, no other woman in India had ever set on such a journey ever. But she was determined to set a record and so she started her ambitious journey on a motorbike from the south of India i.e. Kanyakumari to the extreme North i.e. Kashmir.
Roshni Sharma soon became the first Indian woman biker to ride solo from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.
In her interview with WeNomads, she told about her family in Uttar Pradesh. Roshni herself is settled in Bangalore. The ambitious road trip sounds interesting but involves great determination and planning.
Roshni says, “I had to know about the routes and weather. I learned from my friend that only after summers does the Manali pass open. So I had to schedule my journey to after May. Also in June, many parts of Kerala get rain, so I had to push off Kerala from my itinerary completely. Basically, in my entire journey, I never encountered rain! In fact, to know the routes, I just had to ask people around, talk to them about better ideas and they were all very helpful!”
The people she was worried for, proved to be her biggest strength. Everyone helped her including the locals guiding the way and her fellow bikers. Roshni was apprehensive about people’s attitude towards a woman biker riding solo with no friends but was pleasantly surprised. She received good support and warm welcome everywhere in India!
“As a woman in India, I am hounded around by society as to how it is unsafe to travel in India for a woman. And especially when she’s alone! Hemmed with an uncertain weather in this country, I expected many people to raise their eyebrows at my adventure. My experiences though contradicted my expectations.” Roshni Sharma.
Roshni by breaking the stereotype that women can’t travel alone in India has encouraged other women like herself, to pack their bags and explore the beautiful parts of India all alone. Roshni’s example and her experience can inspire any girl in India. She conquered all. Roshni believes that the myth about solo women travelers’ safety needs to break in the minds of the traveler themselves.
“I am cent percent sure that a woman can travel alone, for as long as she wants, if she is courageous, confident by herself in our own ways, wise, quick thinking and alert every time. It’s a myth that women cannot travel alone and it’s unsafe.” Roshni Sharma.
India is definitely proud of wonderful women like Roshni Sharma who are the youth icons for young and independent Indian women. She has proved that nothing is impossible; if you wish it you will find a way to achieve it! Her love and passion for biking have given us the precious life lesson that ‘Never ever give up on your dream’. I would love to end this post with beautiful and motivating words of the biker herself:
“Biking is my passion and by taking this expedition, I want to spread a message among women, especially young girls, to come out of social taboos and live a free life.” Roshni Sharma
