Tuesday, November 12, 2024

‘Nari’ power on wheels, breaking barriers, building bridges

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From biking to philanthropy, She for Society has become a beacon of hope for marginalised communities across the country. In an exclusive interview with The Pioneer, Harshini Venkatesh, founder-president of She for Society, shares her vision for a more empowered and inclusive society

Tejal Sinha

Shattering stereotypes and embracing the thrill of biking, women riders today are breaking free from societal norms, enjoying the freedom and independence that comes with riding. With increased accessibility, women are confidently navigating city streets, scenic routes and off-road trails. 

Among those passionate ones, we came across a group of women riders, working tirelessly towards the welfare and well-being of our ‘veer naris’, ex-soldiers and their families. She For Society provides a platform for people to donate, give and support a cause that works to improve the lives of our veterans and their families, maintaining the comfort and rehabilitation of the infrastructure veterans receive after serving our country. 

The brainchild of Harshini Venkatesh, a social activist and the founder president of this first-ever NGO formed by women bikers and joined by Kavita Prabhakar and Shalini Deepak, they are now a group of hundreds of women working for multiple causes. 

“We ride for a cause,” begins Harshini over an exclusive interaction with The Pioneer for our special segment of Community Wise. To date, ever since its inception in 2020, they have organised more than 100 initiatives and events in collaboration with the Indian Army Ex-Soldier Association and the traffic police. “Since the past three years on Kargil Vijay Diwas, we ride along with the Indian Army, where hundreds of their soldiers and tornadoes perform the stunt shows. We were a total of around 800 bikers who were riding to create awareness about the sacrifices of the Kargil heroes. We’ve been riding with the Indian Army every Independence day and on Republic Day.”

Their work for the cause has just not been confined to riding. These fierce women have set up seven computer training centers for them in different districts which are taken care of by the former soldiers. They also have established 26 computer training centers.  What started off as a team of 15 to 20 bikers initially, she yearned to gather over 150 women bikers in and all of them together raised funds of Rs 3 lakh for six ex-soldier families, who were sufferng from cancer. 

“Then, we’ve also worked on 14 different projects during the pandemic. We provided ambulances, free food and rations for the ones in need. Recognising the unrecognised was our main motto. That’s the reason why we all wished to work for the former soldiers. There were many transgenders, sex workers and visually challenged people too who were not getting proper food. So we worked for them as well,” shares the founder president, adding that they’ve also actively working towards projects on nature every Environment Day. “On World Environment Day in 2020, we donated 100 desi cows, which encourage natural and spiritual farming. We also try to promote ‘no use of pesticides and eat chemical-free food.” They’ve had their hands on rejuvenating a lake in Harapanahalli near Ramanagara. 

While Harshini rides a BMW G310 bike, there are many of the other riders who choose to drive Royal Enfield and different vintage bikes. However, it’s no less than a challenge for them to ride these bikes because “it weighs at least 200 kgs, which is not easy. These bikes are designed for men. But these women are more daring. When a woman can give birth to a child. Why can’t she ride a bike?”

Another challenge was getting the women riders onboard for the cause. In fact, “We did a ride with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). RCB invited us to lead the Women Premier League team, which was the first women’s league and it was for the inaugural WPL. We escorted them from the hotel to the stadium. We are the only non-cricketers on the Instagram page of RCB. However, even for an RCB event, when we asked the bikers to come, it was difficult for me to find even 50 bikers. On the contrary, it would be much easier to get in the men bikers onboard.”

While initially she struggled to convince her family to let her work on the cause, today they are all proud of her. In fact, Harshini’s husband had also sponsored one of the computer training centers. 

Talking of the causes, that’s not it, folks! She further tells us, “I’m organising these rides and raising funds from the brands. We ride for a cause and purpose with glamour and passion for a cause. I was the first person to start the biker fashion shows. We ride on the stage. Then we are also the first ones who started wearing saris and riding on bikes. For some jewellery brands, we wore about jewels worth 18 lakhs and rode across the commercial streets.”

During the Navratri, nine of these bikers had dressed in the nine different forms of Durga, wearing different colours of sarees. They were recently in the news for organising the first-ever transgender ride in the country. Oh not to forget, they’ve organised multiple events with the Disabled Cricket Council of India.

With every mile, she fuels a revolution, riding to empower the unsung heroes—soldiers, ex-servicemen, women and children in rural areas of the country. By 2026, she envisions 100 vibrant centers, bridging the digital divide and illuminating the path to progress. But what drives her quest? The stark truth is that countless schools lie dormant, their state-of-the-art labs awaiting the spark of life—computers. The government promises to linger and tenders are issued, yet the silence of unused labs echoes through corridors. Undaunted, she’s already transformed 20 schools, infusing digital life into barren labs. Her crusade against digital darkness gathers momentum, scripting a new chapter in the story of empowerment, where women and children claim their rightful place in the digital age. Every revolution begins with a single ride and hers is just the beginning.

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