Been there, Dune that

A design and management student from Mount Carmel College, Shreya confesses that it was never about wanting to be a ‘biker.’ “The first time I happened to ride a motorcycle was on a rather frisky note. On hearing how it works, I hopped on to a friend’s bike in college and knew how to ride it. It had me hooked on instantly,” she says. Since her first off-road and river crossing experience at Kalasa near Chikkamagaluru, the spunky daredevil has passed the lofty Himalayan ranges, tested her endurance through its glaciers and many passes. She has even covered the North and Southern belt of the country, with her most recent journey covering 1,800 kilometers in six days including Bandipur, Palakkad, Aluva, Kalpetta, Virajpet, Mananthavadi, Kakkabe and Hunsur. “And in all the journeys that followed, I’ve never lost the sense of freedom and adventure I felt the first time. To me, it’s the luxury of time – time without the tax of words. Time that belongs only to me,” says the freelance designer who makes sure she rides as often as possible to stay on track. Shreya believes that biking, as a sport, is still picking up at snail’s pace in India. “Although gender bias has been a big part of what is looked upon as a male-dominated sport, it’s time we broke some stereotypes,” she says.