India's 1st female motovlogger rides across odd terrains

Vishakha was born and brought up in a middle class household with an unapologetic upbringing and a go-getter attitude. With her father's persuasion and her mother's indefinite support, she was always encouraged to take up hobbies that seemed astonishing for any teenager growing up in a traditional Indian household.

By standard 7, Vishakha was able to ride a motorbike on her father's ordinary Hero Honda Passion and soon upgraded to her own second hand Pulsar 220 that she bought with her own money in standard 11.

Vishakha shares, "I grew up in a neighbourhood full of boys and always wanted the things they had. As a child, I was really intrigued by bikes. Initially, my father used to give his bike to me for parking and I used to feel so good about it. In 2015, I bought my first bike and started going on rides and drag races. Eventually, I found motovlogging. I created a Youtube channel 'RiderGirl Vishakha' and began recording my journeys. Today, I'm proud to be India's first female motovlogger. I have a helmet with detachable ponytails."

From being the fastest girl on KTM Circuit Race at Vroom 2016 to covering difficult terrains of Leh, Ladakh region, Vishakha recalls redefining her challenges at every step. She has been the only female rider continuously participating in IBW MotoVloggers event for six years. Sharing about her rides, Vishakha says, "I have covered Rajasthan, Leh-Ladakh three times, Spiti, Kanyakumari, Rameshwaram, Kerala, Andaman and Nicobar islands, Goa and Gujarat. I have taken a lot of rides alone pan India. I have an enriched experience of seeing what many haven't even heard of about India."

One experience which has to stand out amongst all is her ride around the Narmada. "In order to spread awareness about the 'Clean Rivers Initiative', I travelled with the slogan 'Save River Save Nation' that focuses on the increasing pollution in the Narmada. I encouraged people to undertake a parikrama around the river rather than bathing in the water using soap. I wanted to do something around water. I want to encourage the youth to take up parikrama as they are the future. I was carrying a banner board that said 'Save the Narmada River'. Whenever I would stop for water, tea, or lunch break, I would stand with my board in my biking gear," adds Vishakha.

When you're a woman and a solo rider, you not only face the odds of a road ride but you also face the repercussions of going against all odds. About the challenges that she faced, Vishakha shares, "There are no toilets on the road and mountains. Night riding is not safe. Fuelling up after sunset is also a little scary at times. If I talk about my last ride only before the lockdown, there were so many instances where I was refused a place to stay simply because I am a solo female rider marking my entry after the sunsets. Since these are tier 3 cities on my itineraries, I could barely book myself a place online and I literally had to worry about a roof over my head every single night."

Her organic content infused with an incredible quotient of adventure and her passion for biking has translated into a remarkable fan following for all moto lovers.