A 21-year-old solo rider Amrutha Joshi from Kumble Kasargod is back at her school and received a warm welcome at Canara High School in Dongarakery after an all-India trip, here on Wednesday, August 10.
Amrutha Joshi developed a craze for bike riding at the age of 12 years. “It is obvious that society will not take it on good terms if it sees girls riding bikes. After 18, I left for a long ride. I chose Northeast as my destination for a solo ride,” she said.
She is born to Ashok Joshi and Annapoorna Joshi, is the youngest daughter among three children. Amrutha Joshi said, “When I selected Northeast, I was told that the riders face harassment there. Meanwhile. thanks to the struggle of the Indian army we ride freely. My current ride is for the Indian army and regional equality.”
Amrutha’s solo ride flagged off from Calicut on February 4 and reached Tawang on April 9 after covering Nepal, Myanmar. When she reached Tawang, she thought that she would continue and cover the entire country. While she was travelling from Ayodhya, Amrutha also met with a hit-and-run accident. Amrutha had serious injuries and had to get back to home town for a month’s rest.
Soon after recovering from the accident, Amrutha switched from a KTM bike to a BMW bike and started her solo ride from the place where she met with the accident with the support of her fiancée.
She covered more than 23,000 kilometres including states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Ladakh, Rajasthan, Maharastra, and Goa and then reached Karnataka and head yo home in Kasaragod, Kerala.
Amrutha said, “The people of Northeast are so helpful. Every time I need help, they would voluntarily come forward. I had basic knowledge about bikes and repair. Each day, I used to ride for about 8 to 12 hours and by the end of the day, I used to consult a garage. Barring the accident, I have some sweet memories and wonderful experiences during my journey. It was challenging because 80% of the roads are off roads where you can’t predict the weather. After the demise of my father, it was my mother who motivated me to fulfil his dream to go for a ride.”
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