Born to be a biker

Adventurous streak

She has been riding a motorcycle from the age of 15 and with each day, her love for riding only grows. Back from the recently-held ‘India Bike Week’ in Goa, Sangeetha Jairam, a yoga instructor, is ecstatic about the experience. “I attended the first edition and this time, I was one of the speakers,” she says.

“It was a fantastic experience and the best thing about India Bike Week is that it brings together the entire fraternity of motorcyclists. It is not just meant for one group but an entire gamut of motorcyclists. Be it people who love travelling or have a passion for vintage bikes or even those who just love motorcycles, everyone can be a part of the event,” she exclaims.

It was her father’s love for bikes that rubbed on Sangeetha. In fact, he rode all the way from Europe to India in his younger days, she informs, “It was an unplanned trip. He was studying in the United States and stopped in Germany to pick up a BMW motorcycle and came all the way here on his bike. So motorcycling has always been an important part of our family,” she adds.

She learnt riding on the same bike when she was all of 15. “I had just finished my tenth standard and have been riding ever since,” she says.

The yoga instructor, who rides a KTM 200, has explored several countries on the bike like Bhutan, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kenya. Recalling all her trips vividly, she says, “I explored Cambodia for nine days on a bike. I rented one over there and went from North to South on it.” She has wonderful memories of her trip to Bhutan too. “We went from Siliguri to Guwahati via Bhutan,” she notes.

Not part of any biking groups in the City, Sangeetha never plans any of her trips. “Sometimes, I just meet people over there and make friends with them while there are times when I look for bikers online. For instance, when I did the Central Asia trip, I had four Russians joining me there,” she says. “But for most of my overseas trips, I prefer to go with a group.”

Sangeetha makes it a point to take off a month every year for her travel. “I also love The Himalayas and visit it once every year. There are so many routes and passes to the mountains and I love exploring them,” she says.

According to her, fitness is a very important part of biking. “You need a lot of endurance and stamina especially if you are riding a long distance. When I was in Kazakhstan, I covered 700 kms on the first day itself on a bike. I would have been exhausted if I wasn’t physically fit,” she says.

Her advice to budding bikers to stay fit and read up on bikes. “It’s very important to have a basic understanding of motorcycles, like how to change a flat tyre. Apart from that, all I can say is have a dream and follow it,” she sums up.