This graduate from Manipal University is on solo cycling trip from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and chats with us
Anahita Sriprasad
She’s on two wheels; cycling over 4,000 km across the country and her only message for the world is to promote women’s safety. Anahita Sriprasad, a 21 year old visual communication graduate from Manipal University Bengaluru campus has embarked on a solo cycling trip from Kashmir to Kanyaumari. She has already covered 3,500 km, riding from Leh across J&K, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, UP, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and reached Pune. Anahita is currently between Kolhapur and Belgaum, takes a few minutes break to speak to us while on her way to Chitradurga, Tumkur, Bengaluru, Dharmapuri, Salem, Nammakkal, Dindigul, Madurai, Kovilpatti, Tirunanveli and finally Kanyakumari.
We ask the gutsy girl on the challenges she’s facing and Anahita admits, “I started on October 5 and it’s been almost two months on the road. This country is safe but one has to be smart about certain things. I don’t travel at night. I stop cycling around twilight and plan my distances earlier. It’s risky in terms of traffic after sunset. There are many challenges like finding a decent place to stop on highways and there are tough terrains. Sometimes, I get delayed due to harsh traffic. Although I had planned initially, I changed my route halfway through the ride, so now I look at guest houses and state tourism lodges or family and friends for a pitstop. I have two more weeks and will be in Bengaluru on Sunday and then head out towards Kanyakumari after a day break in Bengaluru.”
Did she always have an adventurous streak in her, we ask and she says, “Last year after graduation I went on a solo backpacking trip across India. I did it for a month and after that I went to Kashmir to ski. I came across many people who asked me why I was travelling alone. I wanted to change this perception of women’s safety in India and my sole motive for this solo cycling trip was that if I were to successfully complete this, I might change such thoughts. Even my parents were apprehensive about me going alone as it hasn’t been done by a woman before, but as they saw the responseI got, they changed their mind.”
Recalling an incident on how she’s floored by the hospitality she encountered on her journey, she states, “I was in a small village in Sonmarg, where I had stopped to buy a rope and some people invited me home and introduced me to the women of their house. They were shocked to see a woman cycling alone in Kashmir and insisted I stay for lunch. The inspiration is that is egging me to go on. The more I explore the places, the more I fall in love with this country. I sometimes wish I could stay at some places and explore further, but I’m bound by time. The best part is that I’ve made a lot of new friends.”
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( Source : deccan chronicle )
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