Bust stereotypes

For many the reason to join an all-women motorcycling group was to break free from the clutches of patriarchy. “I belong to a village in Punhana, Haryana, where there used to be a lot of restrictions on girls. My father also discouraged me from riding a bike, out of protectiveness. But I still wanted to take it up and joined WOW,” says Dolly Bansal, 36, a WOW member and an assistant professor at Dronacharya Government College in Gurugram.

Nitika’s story is similar. The family had a bike at her home but her father discouraged her from riding it. “He used to say ‘bikes are not made for girls.’ That’s because society only sees fathers, brothers and husbands as ‘protectors’ and women as ‘dependants’. After talking about motorcycling with my female friends, I’ve seen their growing interest with some even joining the group. Many now reveal that they have long harboured this hidden desire for motorcycling but did not get the right direction, encouragement, or the means to pursue it.”

However, being a woman bike rider isnt easy. “You get eve-teased by some men and boys on the road, though women support and respect you a lot,” says Saini adding that once at a petrol pump in Delhi-NCR, a group of curious girls approached her and asked how it felt to be a woman bike rider. “It gives you a great push to see them in awe,” Saini adds. Similarly, Seema, whose daughter is 13, motivates her to take up outstation motorcycle tours. “She encouraged me to take my first long bike ride to Alwar. She also wants to ride a bike in future. When kids see a woman in the family taking up such an adventurous hobby, it blurs rigid gender roles.” Nitika is also elated that her son accompanies her to the practice sessions. “When young men support you to take up a ‘man’s job’, it fosters a silent environment of empowerment.”

The new Hyundai 7-seater Alcazar

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