Freedom at midnight

Marking the International Female Ride Day, one of the earliest all-women biker groups, The Bikerni, called for a ‘Midnight Ride’ for all female bike riders in the city on Saturday. Being held in Hyderabad for the first time, the drive is all about women safety. Bikers from various parts of the country took to motorcycles on Saturday night to empower women.

Swati Lakra (IPS), Additional CP, who flagged off the ride, which started from Peoples Plaza and ended at Charminar, said, “It’s a good gesture to reclaim women’s rights to public space. I am glad that the women bikers’ community is growing with each year.”

Jai Bharathi, head of Bikerni’s Hyderabad chapter believes, “We want to showcase that Hyderabad is equally safe for women and men, which we noticed while doing the recce to decide the route.”

Urvashi Patole, founder of The Bikerni said, “The objective of the drive is  to set a platform to bring women bikers together and promote womanhood.”

Anita Peter, Dancer and a theatre artiste
This drive only shows that women can break gender stereotypes. It is also an indication that women, too, need freedom and something like this midnight ride was the need of the hour.

Nainaaz, Flight attendant  
The best part of this ride is that it’s being held at midnight. It is great to see that the drive is bringing women of various cultures across the country to the city, creating a strong culture of bikers in the process. Riding my Royal Enfield 350 cc is a great stress buster and it makes me feel liberated