Shyni Rajkumar, commonly referred to as the ‘Bullet Woman’, is synonymous to the word dauntless. With her perseverance and determination, she has inspired many women to break stereotypes. The first woman rider in Kerala to buy the Himalayan edition bullet from Royal Enfield, Shyni formed Dauntless Royal Explorers for women.
Her love affair with the bike began right from the childhood. “I used to look on mesmerised when my uncle, who was a policeman, rode his Royal Enfield bullet. I wanted to ride a bike and also own one such bike,” Shyni said. And she realised her dream to ride a bike when she turned 20.
After resigning from her job, Shyni spends her time working for her club and also going on rides. “I want to spread the word to riders from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasargode,” she said. Amidst all this rider finds time for her family. Shyni, who has gone biking all over Kerala, Bihar, Nepal, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, is all set to go off to another ride.
‘Azaadi’, as the trip is called, will see her setting off on a 50 day ride from Kanyakumari to Ladakh. The trip is one of a kind since it is the first attempt being made by a woman to go on a 2-sided road Kanyakumari to Ladakh.
According to Shyni, the greatest tool in fighting discrimination is to equip a girl child with the strong will to take on anything that life throws at her. “The biggest step towards fighting atrocities is getting oneself trained both physically and mentally. Let girls start taking up tasks without considering the gender stereotypes. Once she begins doing things her brothers do, she will eventually become physically capable of protecting herself. This training should begin right at home. By giving her such a space she will have the courage to act efficiently and effectively,” said Shyni.