Bike riding her way across India

HYDERABAD:  Indrani Daha, a young woman of 27 from Kalimpong, West Bengal, has started a road trip on her Royal Enfield 500 cc motorbike to raise more concern and awareness about women empowerment and safety.

She lives in Kharagpur, West Bengal, but is currently in Hyderabad as her stopover. Shares the former service operator in a cruise liner, “After the lockdown, I had to come back home and that’s when I realised I can start a bike ride and travel across the country.” Her first bike was Yamaha Phazer; her youngest brother taught her biking while she was 16 years old.

She plans to ride across all the states in the country within six months. “I have been riding for 250 km per day to make up for the distance. When I was in Vijayawada, I sped up to 330 km. My ride is self-funded and I will be riding solo throughout the trip,” she adds. 

She went to the North East and then Bihar. She shares, “I went to Bhagalpur and stayed in a hotel. Later, when I went to Bodh Gaya to visit the Mahabodhi Temple I came across sympathetic people. For example, camera and mobile aren’t allowed inside.

But I explained my purpose to the authorities and one of the officers wrote a letter to his seniors and I was allowed entry with my camera and mobile. I even sat for the aarti. People really understood me and were helpful. Then I went to Ranchi and then Orissa.” She signs off, “I leave for Chennai on Monday / Tuesday. I am staying at Tolichowki at a friend’s place and relishing the Hyderabadi delicacies.”