Mumbai: Inspired by Sairat actress, Bhandup women learn to ride bikes

Rinku Rajguru as Archi in Sairat In the last one month the playground near Sanskruti Hall in Kokan Nagar Bhandup has witnessed an unprecedented change From being the hub of cricket batwielding boys swooping the length and breadth of the ground with their fours and sixes the ground has now made way for hundreds of womenEvery day around 430 pm women from the nearby slums take a twohour break from their chores to assemble at the spot With their pallus hastily tucked into their waist they ride small distances while carefully balancing on the loaned twowheelersThe free training being the initial motivation the heady rush of liberation has now pushed over 1800 housewives working professionals and collegegoing girls from the slums of Bhandup to register for the training classStudents line up at a playground near Sanskruti Hall in Kokan Nagar Bhandup for the riding class PicDatta KumbharTheir coach politician Jitendra Ghadigaokar who has taken on the task of training more than 200 women at a time says he was inspired by the female lead character Archi from this years Marathi blockbuster Sairat The image of Archi flamboyantly riding a Bullet through the fields of a small village in Maharashtra stuck with him Thats when he decided to launch the training school early in NovemberIn a span of oneanda half months Ghadigaokar has trained over 400 women from lowerincome groups to ride the scooter He is now busy training his second batch of 250 women bikers with the help of volunteersInitial roadblocksWhen Ghadigaokar first advertised the programme he received applications from over 1800 women Overwhelmed by the response he decided to put the initiative on hold We could tell that they were eager to learn but we didnt have enough bikes We then loaned bikes from relatives friends and colleagues said Ghadigaokar general secretary of North East Wing of the BJPJitendra GhadigaokarThe students now train on 10 bikes We are increasing the number of bikes every day as more and more people are coming in he added Ghadigaokar said he launched the training programme to provide women from lowerincome groups an opportunity to be mobileThese women cannot afford training from a regular motor school whose fees range from R4000 to R5000 Also when compared to women from other suburbs of Mumbai you rarely see women from Bhandup head out alone This bothered me he said During the 45day training course women are taught to drive and also trained to write the exam and provided with a driving licenceThe freedom to rideFor Ghadigaokar a bikeriding woman symbolises empowerment selfconfidence and economic equality Homemaker Megha Mangesh Panchal 37 who lives in the Maharashtra Nagar slum expresses this newfound confidence fittingly As a child I remember being warned not to go out of the house after 6 pmA homemaker practises riding at a playground in Bhandup Jitendra Ghadigaokar started the programme after watching Sairats actor Rinku Rajguru ride a Bullet in the film PicDatta KumbharMy brother would accompany me everywhere she recalls Today Panchal who is a mother of two is forced to rely on the men of the house Now I will learn the bike buy a scooter with my own money and prove my family that I am more than just a caretakerPanchal who is halfway through the class insists that learning the bike is important for all women Time and again women are told that they cant do certain things Just because I am a housewife doesnt mean I cannot step outside my home The bike is a means for me to take charge of my life says Megha who has already started saving up to buy her own scooterMegha Mangesh PanchalSujata Rane 43 another trainee who lives in Konkan Nagar and runs a catering business said I am constantly nudged to quit the business This makes me feel terrible Learning the bike has given me wingsRinku Rajguru the actress who played Archi in Sairat said she was happy that Ghadigaokar had taken a leaf out of the film Im very happy that they are inspired by Archi Hers was an inspiring character she saidDr Nandita Shah gender rights activistDr Nandita Shah gender rights activist and codirector Akshara has commended the move Women surely feel empowered when they learn to ride a bike Everything that is denied to us as secondary citizens when offered to us gives us a sense of exhilaration said Shah She also added The challenge is not only to bring them out in a bike rally but create a space to challenge the patriarchal mindset even within their own community400No of students through with test1800No of applications in 7 days