Woman ‘bikerni’ from Odisha chases her passion, this time for a cause

Bhubaneswar: She stood out in the crowd that vroomed alongside special persons assembled for a cause in Odisha capital today. Meet Arshia Musarrat the lone woman biker at the 2017 Bike Rally For Awareness on Disability held here. A member of Odisha Bikerni, this 20-year-old rode her KTM Duke 250 along with 25 hearing-impaired and a few other biker groups from Janata Maidan to Pathani Samanta Planetarium and back, covering a distance of 3 km. Arshia’s fascination for bikes started early. She has always been surrounded by bike enthusiasts. “My father owned a vintage bike, BSA M20 (1942 make). It sowed my interest in bikes and I picked it from there,” said this BBA final year student.

The catchline ‘Why should boys have all the fun’ perfectly fits these gang of seven girls, including an Italian national. While this ride, which Arshia among other members could make to, was for a cause, the Odisha Bikerni’s maiden trip this November from Bhubaneswar to Ansupa Lake was more for the adrenaline rush and adventure while breaking gender stereotypes. “We just want to explore ourselves, the state and the country. We feel a sense of power and control while riding a bike. And it is an awesome feeling,” Arshia said.

On December 10, the women biker gang will vroom to Chilika, which is a distance of around 250 km from Bhubaneswar. “The first trip was a short one of about 60 km. We are expecting this to be much more exciting and challenging. Around five to six members will go on this trip,” she added. More power to these girls!