Thiruvananthapuram : What happens when someone expects you to not do a particular thing? The will to do that just grows more. So when Shyni Rajkumar got slut-shamed for riding a bullet for the first time back in 2006 in the capital city og Kerala, she got more courage to take it further! Shyni started the state’s first all women Bullet club that teaches women to ride Bullet bikes. She has also conducted a Bullet trip from Kerala, all the way to Leh-Ladakh!
After completing 12,000 km trip, Shyni, 34, has already mapped out her next all-India solo trip from her house in Sasathamangalam. It took Shyni 42 days to complete her Ladakh trip. Her rider friends Anoop Payyanad and Nah Calicut accompanied her. As she fell ill, she was joined by her husband T Rajkumar, an avid biker, in Chandigarh. He returned once she recovered and later she rode solo to Tiruvananthapuram.
Shyni was a cricket player and athlete during her college days. It was when she was still in her school in Uttar Pradesh that her liking for Bullets began. Her uncle, Thankaraj, a police officer, introduced her and passed on his passion for bikes and travelling to her. She mastered her skills for riding by the age of 20, but was little hesitant in riding a bullet in Kerala. She finally started riding, only to face the wrath of nasty comments for trying something which was completely dominated by men.
Leh Ladakh Highway To Heaven Bike Trip
Kerala Tourism sponsored Shyni’s trip, which carried the message ‘Stop violence against women’. Shyni did not face a single bad experience through the trip. “Our activities were coordinated by riders from every parts of the country. So it was easy when I had to book a room as I had help from local riders whom we connected through whatsapp” She said as she accepted that men supported her at every step.
But where there are roses, there has to be some thorns. A few days after her journey took off, Shyni’s bullet skidded over a rock at Madirai. Everything from her bike, mobile to GoPro got damaged. But fortunately she escaped with minor injuries. She resumed her trip after a day’s rest. “I am sure that I escaped because I had enough, quality safety gear. I made sure that my family won’t know about the incident,” she said. Her bike was back in shape with the help of Royal Enfield. Shyni made sure to not ride after dusk as a safety measure.
To help women realize their dreams of riding bikes, she started ‘Dauntless Royal Explorers’ club last year. “Most women riders face opposition from family. If it is an all-women trip, some might agree. This resulted in the formation of the club which now has around 30 members,” she said.
Source : TOI ( Times of India)