A rider’s mission to empower

Born into a traditional and orthodox family in a nondescript village in Chitradurga district in Karnataka, any distant memory about childhood and life in the past for Dashmi Rani CJ starts with familiar and frequent fights inside the family. From hot debates that ended up in frequent verbal duels, Dashmi fought through all stages of her life to go to school, to get a job and most things that can be listed under fundamental human rights.

Dashmi is now preparing for a bike rally to Jayanagar, which will be conducted the next month to spread the message of women empowerment. “The rally will include 50 other female riders and will be conducted in Jayanagar, which is a notorious place. According to recent reports, a lot of cases related to crimes against women were filed in Jayanagar police station. Though the rally is conducted as part of the third edition of a Youth Festival, the bike rally will focus on spreading awareness on women empowerment,’’ she says.

Dashmi along with other riders enroute to Kaythanamakki hills in Karnataka.

Hailing from a community that believes women are meant only for marriage and breeding children, this 35-year-old school teacher cum rider fought her way and she is not ready to give up until she fulfills her dream of riding around the nation in 2018.  “It was such a difficult path for me to fight with every one, in my family and neighborhood, to make them understand that getting educated and getting a job are my rights. Even after marriage, my husband does not like me going for rides — we have debates on a daily basis. I love exploring  unknown, faraway places around the world and I would not stop until I see that dream come true. Every day, I wake up saying I am a fighter and I fight it out, no matter what,’’ says Dashmi.

Dashmi teaches science for high school children in a school throughout the academic year, even as she weaves her dream of an all-India solo trip. She has been a school teacher for the last 10 years and for her riding does not only mean pursuing a passion, but an opportunity to spread socially relevant messages. Last July, Dashmi had traveled to West Bengal and Ladakh in a bid to create awareness about prostate cancer and raised money to donate to cancer patients.