“The moment you free yourself from log kya kahenge, kya sochenge, you are free. The bike empowers you that way. You stop thinking about the people, what they say or think,” says 51-year-old Shabnam Akram, a corporate communications consultant, a mother of two, and a Bikerni.
The Bikerni, founded in 2011, is an all-women group of passionate bikers – the “first All-Female Motorcycle Association of India”, according to their Facebook page. In 2013, the group organised the largest all-women motorcycle expedition from Delhi to Khardung-La in Ladakh. The route includes the highest motorable road in the world. This won them a mention in the Limca Book of World Records in 2013.
Shabnam Akram rode her first bike when she was only 14. She joined the biker gang in 2012. She was looking around for more female bikers, and was happy when she found out about Bikerni.
The Quint followed some Bikernis on a trail to Damdama lake. Watch these gutsy women rule the streets.
Also Read: The Bikerni: All-Women Bikers Who Grind Stereotypes Into the Dust
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