Despair and the art of motorcycling

HYDERABAD: Motorcycling as genre is becoming popular every day for a lot of reasons, but it has proven its psychological benefits are less known. Experts say that motorcycle riders have agreed that riding makes them happy, helps them relax and unwind. 

Says Singajogi Satyaveni,  who has been pursued motorcycling to beat depression and anxiety, “On the very first day when I beat my fear on motorcycles and came home riding my Royal Enfield, the smile on my mom’s face made me feel that what I’m doing now is right. That’s when I became mentally more strong and got it out the confusion of where my life is taking me now. The 25-year-old female Hyderabadi motorcycle rider was an aspiring tennis player and a state champion too. Her life took a drastic turn when she met with a bike accident in 2008. 

“I was a national lawn tennis player, was going to play my match and met with an accident. It was a bike accident though I was not riding it and I was just a pillion it was easy for me to blame the bike for my career loss because after that accident I was not allowed to play ever again in my life. Shock, depression and fear, slowly started developing anxiety attacks.  My mom thought the reason that destroyed my life will only take me back into the life.

That’s when she gifted me Royal Enfield classic 350.  I don’t know when, how and where exactly I got out of depression but my motorcycle helped me achieve it.  Solo rides on my motorcycles, helmet on, it was just me and motorcycles, having conversations. That’s why I say I don’t treat motorcycles as machines, for me motorcycles has soul.

Six years since then, now Satyaveni is a biker. She goes on long rides, teaches women riding, and also does custom-designed art work on bikes. Being part of a city-based women’s bikers club called Bikernis, Satyaveni, along with her 20 fellow riders, has been teaching women in the city how to ride.  “I run a nNGO through which I teach women riding motorcycles. It takes six sessions and free of cost.” Known as lady_with_bullet, Satyaveni extensively shares the sights and sounds of her bike journeys with her 14K social media followers. Her story has been featured in Josh Talks, a series of inspiring talks on YouTube. 

Last year, her NGO Husky Capers also took part in a Royal Enfield Motorcycle event wherein she and her nine co-bikers took off to Vijayawada from Hyderabad to inspire more women to follow their dreams in life. They also got to escort Vasireddy Padma, Women Commission Chairperson, Andhra Pradesh, on their bikes to bring in change of mindset in the society that women can be power women if they choose to be so. A  biker who is also into customising bike accessories says that biking makes her feel liberated and look at life from a new perspective and beat despair.

— Manju Latha Kalanidhi
 kalanidhi@newindianexpress.com
  @mkalanidhi