The sound of a Bullet is what you hear first followed by the sight of a rider dressed in biker’s gear. The bike is weighed down with canvas bags and utility items. An Indian flag is fluttering behind the seat and as she alights, the words on the leather jacket snag attention: ‘daughter of Snehaprabha’.
Removing her helmet and shaking loose her cascading hair, she offers a big smile. Proving that ‘where there is a bike there is a way’ is solo rider Praveena Vasanth, who has embarked on a journey that will cover 29 states from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and 29,000 km in India. Her sole loyal companion all along is her Royal Enfield bike that she fondly calls Bulloottan.
Hailing from Chattamangalam in Kozhikode, Praveena is also raising awareness about acid attack victims along with meeting people from the defence forces, locals, sex workers and inmates of old age homes and orphanages. She started her journey on the 8th of December from Chandigarh. Admittedly, travelling solo is a very challenging proposition and Praveena ruminates, “It is very difficult and I don’t know if I can complete the journey. Anything can happen on the road.”
The words are not meant for ‘effect’. As Praveena narrates, “From Chandigarh I reached Jammu – it was -3 degrees C and I was riding back after having dinner when I got hit from behind. I was travelling at 70 km/hr and the person who rammed me at 100 km/hr.
I fell down and suffered muscular injuries. Thanks to my riding gear, there were no external injuries but I was completely sprained and bruised.” Praveena was admitted to the Jammu Government hospital where she was advised a month’s rest but the feisty lady hopped on her bike the next day and vroomed away.
Neglecting the constant pain and swelling on her hands that made it difficult even to hold her helmet, Praveena continued her journey. She says, “I went to Nathatop and met the Army personnel. RS Pura on the Indo–Pak border was my next stop where I met a lot of Malayalis.” Amritsar, Panipat and Haryana were where she met a lot of acid attack victims. By the time she reached Gurgaon, her shoulders had become swollen but a stop at a friend’s residence and some tender loving care rejuvenated her. Ajmer was followed by Jodhpur which has sweet memories, “Jodhpur has a big Army base and I got to meet the top Army brass who treated me with deep courtesy. A Brigadier served me tea at which point I thought I would faint — so happy was I!”
Ahmedabad, Rann of Kutch, Jamnagar, Mumbai, Pune and Goa whizzed by as Praveena sometimes covered 1021 kilometres, riding 22 hours. She recalls, “I do not rely on GPS, hence get lost but the bonus is I get to see some beautiful villages and landscapes which I would never have seen if I had been riding on the highway. I could also help many accident victims get medical aid.”
An emergency at home had Praveena rushing to Kerala through Chorla Ghat in Belgaum — a high risk ride. Chorla Ghat is a dense forest and her friends had warned her to cross it before sunset but Praveena was in a rush. She narrates, “I started into the forest and there were boards warning of man eating leopards and tigers. It was 6. 30 pm and one of my bike headlights was broken in the accident and I have a vision problem but I mustered courage and decided to pass through though I was quaking inside! Snakes were crossing my path and it was dark but nothing untoward happened. I reached a check post and soon reached Panaji, Mangalore and the Kerala border.”
Speaking about the Kerala leg of the journey has Praveena’s brows furrowing. She says spiritedly, “Once I entered Kerala, the high beams, single lane roads, rash and parallel driving started. My bike seat was torn with pins in my own home town. I speak my mind and that does not endear me to Malayalis whose staple fare is politics and religion. I am questioned about my bike and my choice to ride solo and called names. The bike, petrol and money are mine; still I get questioned about my choices. I have been catcalled in Kerala and all I want to say is for Malayalis to appreciate the effort made and not to blame or character assassinate me. At one point I was even asked my rate to which I replied ‘more than your mom’!”
Praveena will finish her first stage of the ride at Kanyakumari and then plans to ride to Central India, North East, Bhutan and Nepal. Before riding off, she says, “The National flag fluttering behind gives me strength and my mother’s name on my jacket is a tribute to womanhood!”
