Three girls in their 20s are touring the state on bikes, spreading the word on women's empowerment and urging them to vote as their heart please.
Alumnus of Patna Women's College, 2013 batch, the girls are on a mission to break the society free from inhibitions imposed by a patriarchal society through their group, the Lady Bike Riders of Bihar. The members are Patna residents Kumari Sanjana Saxena (24), Sonam Jha (22) and Nidhi Kumari (24).
The group rides from one district to other to spread the message of women empowerment and equality. Starting the initiative under Sanjana's guidance in February, the girls have travelled 200-250km a day on their heavy-duty two-wheelers Pulsar 220, Royal Enfield Continental GT and Hyosung GT650R to stress on equality of women and empowerment. They are going out exhorting every woman to come out of their homes and vote in favour of candidates of their choice. The daredevils are unflinching in their campaign too, literally. They have named it Rok Sako Toh Rok Lo (Stop us if you can).
The poll campaign started around a fortnight ago.
Sanjana, who quit being an assistant sub-inspector in January after joining in March 2014, said their motive was to urge women to cast their votes independently, and not on the basis of what their husbands or families told them.
"To bring change in society and the mindset of people, women need to stand up for their rights," she said.
Since leaving her job in Bihar police after a stint of less than a year, she is an entrepreneur but biking is a passion.
She said: "Riding my bike gives me immense power to bring change in society. I resigned from my job in Bihar police on January 3 this year for bigger challenges ahead. In the past eight months, I have rode to several districts and managed to reach all sections of women. I have also travelled to Delhi and Ranchi on my Hayabusa. I want women to know their power and freedom."
The 24-year-old owns a collection of seven bikes. She has two Apaches and a Hayabusa, Ninja, Yamaha, Pulsar 220 and a Fraser each.
The biker trio have been to Raxaul, Begusarai, Bettiah, Jehanabad, Biharsharif, Hajipur, Samastipur, Muzaffarpur, Nawada, Ara, Saran, Vaishali, Khagaria, Gaya, Jamui, Aurangabad and Araria over the past eight months. They have only one mantra - women should vote for who they want and not according to caste or under anybody's influence.
Sonam, a choreographer who rides a Royal Enfield Continental GT, said: "I want to break the trend of voting according to caste. I have covered a few districtsand the situation of women is appalling. We have to change it. We should keep in mind welfare, not caste. Women can bring change by using their voting power." She added: "We are making our presence felt in every walk of life. So, it is high time we should come out to vote in favour of the candidate we wish to elect. We must break the notion that women vote according to the men."
Nidhi Kumari, the third member of the group with a black belt in martial arts in her kitty, said: "A woman riding a bike is a challenge to patriarchy. We get immense confidence when we ride our motorbikes and perform difficult stunts. We aim to send out a positive message that despite being born and brought up in a caste-obsessed society like Bihar, we are caste-neutral."
Apart from their poll and equality campaign, the girls are also working on a 90-minute Bhojpuri film on their story. Also titled Rok Sako Toh Rok Lo, the girls play themselves in the film, which shows what it means to be a woman in Bihar and what they suffer on the roads daily.
Sanjana, who is the lead in the film, said: "Women are so ignorant in rural areas. We tell them without women's empowerment and gender equality, societies would not be fully developed. We urge them to send wards to schools. Sometimes, we also get help from the men and teachers of government schools to encourage them."
