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the Bikerni, india’s first women-only motorcycle cluB: someone pass lizzie a Bike

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There’s a women’s revolution happening in India and it’s arriving on two wheels. Lizzie Pook takes to the road

with the country’s first all-female motorcycle crewPhotography: Shariq Allaqaband

Reb elswith a cause

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I am very aware that, from an outsider’s perspective, I look about as ‘effortless’ on a motorbike as

Ab Fab’s Patsy on a Vespa (after a night on the Bollinger). But travelling pillion on the back of a 500cc Royal Enfield Classic as it powers down a palm-fringed road in north Goa, in my head, at least, I’m Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider. I try to feign nonchalance; to project the kind of calm-faced elegance being demonstrated by my seasoned motorcycling companions. But I am in India, riding in formation with a group of women who make it their duty to revolutionise the way females are perceived in this vast country – this is just not a moment for nonchalance.

Today, my life is in the hands of Urvashi Patole, social media strategist by trade and the 26-year-old co-founder of ‘The Bikerni,’ India’s first women-only motorcycle club (Bikerni being the female term for ‘bikers’ in Hindi).Patole established the group in 2011 alongside Firdaus Shaikh, as a means of empowering women who are – she says – all-too-often expected to sit at home, look after the children, cook dinner and wait for their husbands to return.

“We are subjected to discrimination every single day,” she tells me as we take a rest in a roadside cafe in the small coastal village of Vagator. “Women in India are not given many legal rights, whatever we do is dismissed. We are not safe on the roads. And there are still ridiculous traditions forced on us. For example, if I am menstruating, I am not allowed to worship my

are treated onto the news agenda. You will no doubt have read about the horrific gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman by six men on a public bus in Delhi in December 2012. The victim was not only named by police, but later denounced as ‘mentally ill’, with commentators alleging that she was ‘asking for it’ by travelling late at night (albeit with a male companion). The case galvanised India and sparked riots unlike any seen before in the country, with thousands taking to the streets, clashing with security forces and calling for the death penalty for the men accused. The men were found guilty, and four of the defendants were sentenced to hang in September 2013.

Since then, a number of similarly disturbing cases have hit the headlines (including a photojournalist

minutes in Delhi, and incidents of rape in India have gone up tenfold in the last 40 years (a spike ascribed, in urban areas, to women joining the workforce and facing aggressive male resistance, and in rural areas to an ingrained caste system). Many Indian women find themselves the victims of daily gender-based discrimination. According to the World Economic Forum’s 2013 Gender Gap Index (a report that takes into account health services, access to education, economic participation and political engagement), India was

behaves, or how she dresses is simply not an invitation. We are also reinforcing the message that, just because a woman rides a motorcycle, it does not mean she is ‘open’ to everything either. We are finally finding a voice to stand up against these outdated views.” Now, The Bikerni boasts almost 600 members nationwide, with chapters in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Mysore (the plan is to go global). The women range in age from 19-65 and members consist of actors, biologists, lawyers and grandmothers. They are currently the only pan-Indian all-female motorcycle group in existence, making them a unique proposition in a developing

god, Ganesh. And in some of the villages, a woman cannot even be near her family and is locked in a room on her own. This is why we set up The Bikerni; as a means of standing up for ourselves and showing that we can behave in the same way as men.”

The Bikerni are taking to the roads during a time of political upheaval in India. A number of very public rape cases have propelled the way women

hanging from a tree in Budaun, Uttar Pradesh, seemingly gang-raped and murdered by neighbours. Just this month, however, police ruled that the girls’ deaths were suicide and accused witnesses of lying.

National Crime Record Bureau statistics show violent crimes against women in India have increased by 7.1% nationwide since 2010, with over half of victims between the ages of

18-30. On average, one woman is raped every 14

ranked 101 out of 136 countries in terms of equality. So while in some ways, India is remarkably progressive – a burgeoning middle-class population and increased funding in business and politics mean that some women are able to excel (a recent study by Dell found that India was the best in the world for women starting a business) – there’s no denying these statistics make for uneasy reading.

Injustice is bringing women in India together; uniting them in their fight for equality, and The Bikerni are a very noisy and very visible example of this. “The group is a response to these crimes,” says fellow motorcyclist Snigdha Chavan. “How a woman

yet complex country.

A j o u r n e y o f d i s c ov e r y I’ve travelled over 4,500 miles from the Stylist office to spend three days with Patole and various members of The Bikerni

at a motorcycle festival in the north of Goa. It’s a gathering of several hundred motorbike enthusiasts – where fans can meet their favourite riders, try out the newest vehicles and take part in performance rides. I’m hoping it will be a chance for me to get to know the women, watch them compete in dirt track races and ask them – very nicely – to take me for a spin on the back of their rather large bikes. But I also want to know what life is like for them. It’s all-too-easy to judge from the

UK, but what is it really like to live there? And why do they feel it’s important to try and make a change? I know of very few all-female motorcycle groups in Europe, and none whose mission statement is outwardly to fight for equality for women. I wonder if they even know how subversive their group is.

I’m nervous as I wait for them at the festival entrance. As anyone who has travelled to India on their own will know, female Western travellers stick out like a sore thumb. Especially blonde ones. And I’m finding that if I sit in one place, or stand still for any length of time, I become surrounded by groups of

raped in broad daylight in central Mumbai, a 21-year-old woman raped by two unrelated groups of men one Christmas Eve in Pondicherry, and a 16-year-old girl who died after being gang-raped and set on fire in Kolkata). Most recently, in May, two teenage girls were found

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the Bikerni’s striking logoreflects the group’s fight

for women’s rights

even suffering a Brain injury won’t

stop the Bikerni’s urvashi patole

the Bikerni aim to challenge daily

discrimination against women

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men taking my picture, or wanting to touch me.

Some even ask for my number so we can “Have a good time partying later”. It’s not hostile at all; only inquisitive, but it’s still starting to make me feel slightly uncomfortable. I’m hoping when The Bikerni arrive I will feel some sort of protection in numbers. But what if they’re curmudgeonly Hells Angels types with an obvious disdain for journalists? Especially one who has to stand in the shade at all times because she’s forgotten to apply her factor 30. Or what if I get caught up in some sort of skirmish being a part of this controversial group? I really don’t know what to expect.

But as soon as I see the 20-strong group gliding en masse in a fog of dust through the gates, I don’t even care. They are just so cool. After animatedly introducing myself, it’s obvious that this is an incredibly warm, amiable and enthusiastic group of women. Like me, they’re dressed in jeans, or shorts, but with T-shirts proudly emblazoned in the colourful Bikerni logo. Many of them have ridden up to 700 miles to reach this festival, but looking around me, it’s clear to see just how atypical they really are. In the crowd of hundreds gathered on the dusty, swelteringly hot hilltop, there are a comparative handful of women. Motorcycle gangs are obviously big business here – there are countless different male-dominated groups milling about, identifiable by their motorcycle stickers and Eighties rock opera names: ‘The Wolfe Pack,’ ‘The Free Souls,’ ’The Brotherhood of the Highway’ – but there’s no-one else quite like The Bikerni. “Three years ago you wouldn’t have seen a single woman at this festival,” Patole tells me as we muscle our way through the crowds. “When we began, people would ridicule us,” she says. “I’d be riding on the road and men would chase me in their cars and try and open their doors into me so I would fall off,” she adds. “I’ve been raced off the roads; men have tailed me and flashed their full-beam headlights in my mirror to blind me. Even now, men will say, ‘What are you trying to achieve? Don’t

encourage women to do what they’re not supposed to do.’” But people’s attitudes to the group are changing. “Now we’re here as a group and people respect us,” she says. “They bow down to us; they salute us as we go past.” It’s true. Countless people come up to greet Patole like an old friend as we make our way through the festival. Their arrival is announced on the loudspeaker, and both men and women are genuinely excited to see them. Standing with the group feels electric; like I’m in the presence of something that truly represents change in India.

eq uA l i t y f i g h tOf course, these women can’t transform a country single-

subservient to men. They face criticism daily, but they still ride, because they love it. And by actively revelling in a pastime that was until recently seen as the preserve of their male counterparts, their actions speak volumes. And it’s not just riding. As well as providing a means for women to bike together, The Bikerni also team up with NGOs and women’s groups from around India to fundraise and spread

Once, while riding along a dark road at night she came across a young woman who had run out of fuel and was dragging her moped to a petrol station. “There was a group of men cat-calling her, whispering and getting very close,” she explains. “The woman was visibly nervous so I swerved my bike in front of them and shouted, ‘What are you doing!?’ They were shocked, mainly because it was a woman on a motorbike,” she laughs, “but they soon backed off.” She gravely recalls another similar

incident, where she pulled a penknife on a group of men tailgating a young rider on a secluded road. “They wanted to stop her bike so they could do something to her,” she says. “I dread to think what that something was. But I was ready to fight tooth and nail to save both of our lives.”

On a wider scale, women across the country are

sharing in The Bikerni’s efforts to ensure the safety of women in India. And, although there’s a way to go, they are on their way to achieving actual political change. As a result of an increasing number of national protests by women following the notorious gang rapes, the government has pledged to implement stricter

“Men would chase Me in their cars and open their doors

into Me so i would fall off”

anti-rape laws including a bill containing harsher punishments for rapists; and stalking, acid attacks and voyeurism are now classed as crimes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also allocated the equivalent of £21million to combat violence against women in cities around the country. He has ordered that all buses install CCTV cameras and GPS-linked tracking devices. On an everyday level, women are physically fighting back, too. A recent video of two sisters taking on their would-be attacker on a bus in Rohtak in the northern state of Haryana, for example, has gone viral in the country, alongside the hashtag #RohtakBravehearts.

A dA n g e r o u s s p o r tLater, over a lunch of beer and roti, the Bikerni are comparing injuries (they all have at least one war story). Due to a combination of family

handedly (although a number of other women-only motorcycle crews are forming in response to their plight, with names such as Riderni, The REgals and Bengal Lady Bikers). But what The Bikerni do represent is a real challenge to a status quo that promotes the idea that women should be meek, obedient and

awareness about women’s safety. As I prepare to watch some of

The Bikerni race (Patole is the undisputed favourite), I’m heartened and moved to learn that the group has even rescued women from life-threatening situations in the past. “I have had women come and tell me that they were going through an

abusive relationship – that their husband would beat them – but that after joining The Bikerni they found the strength to stand up to him. That really touches me,” Patole says. She has also been forced to save women, vigilante-style, from rape and

molestation on India’s roads.

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the Bikerni prove dirt track racing in india is

not just for men

solidarity: the Bikerni memBers unite together in the fight for equality

the Bikerni’s newest memBer, lizzie styles out her crash landing

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members not wanting them to take up the pursuit, and

men refusing to teach them on their bikes, most of them are self-taught, and it’s been a bumpy ride. They’re an assembly of shattered limbs, dislocations and burns, all held together by skin grafts, screws and metal plates. Patole has even suffered a brain injury so severe, she has been told never to ride again. But that’s not an option. “My parents begged me to give up,” she says. “But I told them I could either live a long, unhappy life, or a short one but die happy.”

It’s something I reflect on as I finally get a chance to ride with The Bikerni, clutching Patole’s shoulders as we power effortlessly along a dirt road in the glare of a burning Indian sun. It’s not hard to see why these women are so enamoured with biking. Granted, I’m not the one in control of this motorcycle (that would be interesting), but they’re not over-exaggerating when they say it feels incredible. Riding a motorbike is peaceful and empowering, and when they salute each other with a secret horn greeting, I feel a real sense of solidarity to be on the road with them. The fact that they are doing this with such a crucial end-goal in mind just makes them even more impressive.

At the moment, The Bikerni might only make up a small percentage of traffic on India’s notoriously busy roads, but just by being there, their sheer presence speaks volumes. “I want there to be chapters of The Bikerni in every city and every small town across India, and I want us to establish groups around the world, too,” says Patole as we meander down a coastal road as the sun sets. “We know now that women look at us and feel inspired; we want to use that power for good. We are a generation of women who have decided that we don’t want to go through what our mothers or our grandmothers went through. We’re taking a stand and we want our influence to be felt throughout India, so all women have a voice. So that they truly believe they can achieve anything they want to achieve, regardless of their gender.” Here’s to the next ride.

B A s k e t B A l l Saudi arabia Debate still rages when it comes to the controversial subject of women’s participation in sport in Saudi Arabia, but the Jeddah United women’s basketball team, founded in 2006, refuse to be bound by tradition. They have been physically attacked, mocked by the media and labelled immoral by the country’s religious leaders, but the team now competes internationally and the company has over 500 members.

c yc l i n g afghaniStan Female members of the Afghan National Cycling Federation face dissent every day from people who believe Muslim women shouldn’t ride bikes. The women have been hit by stones, shot at with slingshots, and the team’s lead rider Marjan Sadeqi was even knocked unconscious after being rammed off the road by a motorcyclist. But the women are determined to make it to the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

r A p Egypt At 19, Mayam Mahmoud is Egypt’s first ever hijab-wearing rapper. In 2013 she made it into the finals of Arabs’ Got Talent where she rapped about sexual harassment and victim-blaming (harassment is an endemic problem in Egypt with 99.3% of women claiming to have been victims in the past). Mahmoud claims not to want chart success, but instead focuses on challenging oppressive gender norms in society.

t h e A r t s ghana The Foundation for Female Photojournalists (FFP) is the only women’s media and art organisation in Ghana. As a result of extremely low literacy rates throughout the country, the group chooses to use art, sculpture, film and photojournalism to spread messages of equality, sanitation, women’s entrepreneurship and the importance of empowering young girls by teaching them the necessary skills for work.

T H E W O M E N T A K I N G A S T A N Dwomen around the world are turning their hobbies into a force for feminism

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jeddah united women’s BasketBall team

mayam mahmoud:rapping for change

ffp are empowering women in ghana

through artfemale cyclists Breaking

Barriers in afghanistan