Women employees of Federal Bank on a motorcycle expedition

All-women biker groups are turning a trend as they break free of gender stereotypes, climb on to their bikes and take on the open road. The Federal Bank Motorcycle Angels, a group of six women employees of Federal Bank, are at full throttle. These women are on a Bullet expedition from Kochi to Delhi.

An initiative of Federal Bank’s CSR and Marketing departments, an announcement was made in May inviting women employees to participate in the Bullet ride. Out of the hundreds that applied, “only six were selected for the journey,” says Rajanarayanan N., head of marketing, Federal Bank.

Seetha V. Nair represents the capital city, and is the oldest of the group, at 40. The youngest of The Federal Bank Motorcycle Angels, Lavanya N. from Bengaluru, is 21.

Sangeetha Sikhamani and Merilyn Hamlet from Kozhikode are 32 and 27 respectively, while Febina K.B. from Aluva is 34, and Surya Ravindran from Thrissur is 24.

As the women will be travelling on Royal Enfield Bullets, the riders were chosen based on their experience in riding a Bullet, their confidence in undertaking a gruelling ride from Kochi to Delhi, and most importantly, their leadership skills.

Message of equality

“At Federal Bank, 40 per cent of our employees are women. This ride is a rally organised by the bank to spread the message of gender equality. We want to spread the message that women have arrived and that they can excel at anything they put their minds to. The journey will have pit stops at various cities and there will be public events held at each of these destinations. In a society that tends to intimidate its women, we want our women riders to be an inspiration and spread the word about women power,” says Rajanarayanan.

Seetha learnt to ride a bike on her husband’s Bullet and has been travelling 100 km daily since she was selected for the trip. “I love travelling, so this expedition is right up my alley. I look forward to travelling with a sisterhood of fellow bikers. As for battling rain and shine, I say, bring it on,” says Seetha.

Each participant was given a new Royal Enfield Classic 350 Bullet two weeks before the ride. “This is so they could familarise themselves with the vehicle,” says Rajanarayanan. The bikers, however, do not get to keep the bikes after the ride. “We will most probably auction off the bullets and the proceeds will be given to NGOs working with women.”

The riders’ journey will be documented and updated via Vlog on Federal Bank’s official Facebook page. There will also be constant updates on Instagram and Twitter. An escort vehicle will accompany the riders from point to point.

The motorcycle expedition that started yesterday from Marine Drive, Kochi, concludes on August 20 in Delhi.