Shyni to lead freedom ride to the Himalayas

Creating awareness about violence against women is her prime objective

Shyni Rajkumar has barely returned from a solo bike trip to Spiti Valley, and she is planning yet another trip to the Himalayan terrain.

This time, she is planning to take five other women with her on a two-month-long trip titled ‘Raise your Voice! Ride your choice!’. And, like on every previous trip, creating awareness about violence against women is her prime objective.

“Going on a ride, or even setting out on a journey on one’s own, in itself is a declaration of freedom. Wherever we go, we want women to listen to us, to realise their power, their rights,” Shyni told the Hindu, announcing the new tour, which will begin on July 1 from Amritsar.

Shyni, known as the Bullet Queen of Kerala, is the founder of ‘Dauntless Royal Explorers’, the first women bikers’ club in the State, which has spread its wings to almost all districts now. Shyni is the first woman in Kerala to buy the ‘Himalayan’ edition from the Royal Enfield. In 2017, she did the K2K (Kanyakumari to Kashmir) ride covering 12,000 km in 42 days. Later, she bagged the ‘Iron Butt’ title, a dream of riders in the country, by travelling from Bengaluru to Pune and back in 23-and-a-half hours.

In early 2021, Shyni planned a pan India trip touching every nook and corner of the country that would have taken over a year and probably could have set a world record for the distance covered in one trip. However, she could not realise the dream at the scheduled time due to the pandemic. Even while the groundwork of her dream ride is in progress, not used to sitting idle, Shyni set off on the Spiti Valley trip and is now planning the Azadi trip.

The group plans to cover 98% of the Himalayas while touching other States on the way. Among the key attractions on the ride are the Umling La pass in Ladakh, the world’s highest motorable road, which recently seized the title from Khardung La pass in Leh. Chitkul, the last Indian village on the China border, the rugged Kinnaur route, and the Highest Post Office at Hikkim will be covered as well.

Shyni terms this trip the second season of her ‘Azadi ka Amrut Savari’, and plans to celebrate the Independence Day at whichever village they reach on August 15. Her companions are all members of her club and seasoned riders, who are but professionals in various fields. “They are all abandoning their personal lives back home for two months for this journey and may even have to take the burden of the expenses if we do not get good sponsorships on time,” Shyni said. The trip is estimated to cost around ₹15 lakh and the group is in desperate search for sponsorship.