When we reported about a lady rider making it to Khardung La on her humble TVS Scooty Zest 110, the biker community stood up, took notice and saluted the young lass for her feat. Anam Hashim, as the petite biker girl is known as, rode through some of the most dangerous terrains on the planet with exigent topography and strenuous climate with dangerously low levels of oxygen in the air. Anam and her TVS Scooty Zest 110, both small in demeanour, bravely took the challenge and soldiered on through taxing terrains, waded through rivulets and strode over stones to emerge winners.
With TVS Himalayan Highs Season 2, that valiant girl, Anam Hashim, conquered the daunting heights of the Himalayas once again, but this time she was accompanied by 10 more women riders astride their TVS Scooty Zest 110. For most of these riders, conquering the Himalayas, and reaching the world’s highest motorable road was a childhood dream, which they realized after braving some really torturous conditions and pushing their own self and their machines to the very limit.
Ebronah Dorothy is one of the 11 brave women who took on the Himalayan Highs 2 challenge and rode their hearts out to achieve their most cherished dream to conquer the Himalayas. In this issue of Motoroids Get on the Road with TVS Scooty Zest 110, Ebronah shares with us her dream of ascending the Himalayas, and her thrilling story of its pursuit.
Check out some more articles from the series:
- Riding Off the Road : Some Simple Techniques and Tips to Follow
- Is Age A Bar For Riding? Three Women Riders Share Their Perspectives
- Get on the Road : Riding in the Hills – Techniques and Tips
- Riding Solo in India : A Woman Rider’s Perspective
- Women Riding Groups in India : Triumphs and Tribulations of Our Girls on Two-wheels
- How to buy budget riding gear : A complete guide
- Himalayan Highs Season 2 : Women of courage who conquered the mountains on their Scooty Zest
- Get on the Road with Motoroids Chapter 4 : Five Weekend Getaways on a Scooter from Five metro cities of India
- Get on the Road with Motoroids Chapter 3 : Things to do in case of a breakdown
- Get on the Road with Motoroids Chapter 2 : Ride preparations and basic checklist
- Adventure: A young lass on the TVS Scooty Zest 110 VS the mighty Himalayas
The journey wasn’t easy by any means, and at times Ebronah had second thoughts. Her mother’s memory was her beacon of strength in such times. As she recollects, “My mother passed away three years ago and I have always kept her picture close since. It was in my wallet during the ride… I would take the photo out and glance at it. It gave me strength to finish the ride.”
Quite naturally, Ebronah dedicates here conquest of the Himalayas to her mother, the woman who gave here the inspiration and the energy to take on this arduous journey and eventually finish it in a resounding manner.
Who else can better describe the journey better than Dorothy herself! Read about Ebronah’s arduous journey in her own words below.
How did a girl born and brought up in Pallikarnai fare in the misty mountains and freezing winds of Himalayas? Quite well, I am proud to tell you!
The desire to ride to Leh had been fostering in my heart when I began riding at the age of 18. It is one of those dreams you harbor when you first begin handling a two-wheeler by yourself. Together, me and my group of close-knit friends planned to save enough for a trip which we would all cherish. Life came in the way, as it always does, and the dream was replaced by realistic, achievable goals.
Who knew, 5 years later, I would get lucky
Yes, I was a part of that contingent which journeyed to the highest motorable road in the world on TVS Scooty Zest 110’s Himalayan Highs Season 2 a couple of months ago.
It was not a ride I imagined to be part of. I live in a joint family with my father and brother for the last twenty-four years. When I told my extended family that I had been shortlisted for Himalayan Highs season 2, they secretly hoped that I would be rejected. However my brother, aware of my passion for riding, convinced them to let me have the opportunity.
Conflicting thoughts dominated my mind as I traversed to Bangalore. Imagine my surprise when they announced that I had been selected. The feeling was surreal! I could not believe my ears. I wanted a day just to let the feeling sink in.
But first, there were a million things to do. Apply for leave at work, prepare my family, but most important of all – find warm woolen clothes in the sultry city of Chennai! This was to become a challenge only rivalled by the ride to Khardung La. I rode across the city for half a day and finally managed to buy cotton thermal wear – which as it turns out is no good in the freezing mountain temperatures.
The ride started with Mandi – Manali – Jispa – Sarchu – Pang and then Leh towards Khardung La and Nubra Valley. The idea of riding a scooter on a terrain where two-wheelers with gears find it tough was very exciting but I was a little sceptical as well. However, on the day we began the ride from Mandi, the peppy scooter felt like my soul companion and that feeling continued throughout the ride.
The scooter was easy to maneuver and control, with a comfortable seating which led to a very smooth ride, relatively. The very first day started with rains lashing at us and was quite the challenge but a few minutes into the ride, the very idea of conquering Khardung La just helped us push forward.
I will never forget my ascent to Khardung La, the feeling when I reached the top and the disbelief at being a part of a record. Yes, this Chennai girl now has a place in the India Book of Records. To every rider being on the road and reaching a destination you’ve always wanted to ride to, is a sense of fulfilment and that is exactly what Himalayan Highs season 2 is to me.
When we were riding down, a contingent of motorbike riders bowed at our group and we felt immensely proud. It was a spectacular journey through the mountains, the changing colors of the terrain, the sky and the gushing water. My favourite parts of the ride were the thoughts that ran across my head as I crossed colored mountains, breath taking landscapes and roads (or lack thereof). There were some life defining thoughts as the ride helped me dispel doubts and get a new perspective to life. There was a flip side to all this speculation when a cow almost displaced me off my scooty, but thankfully both of us were unharmed. Close one!
My mother passed away three years ago and I have always kept her picture close since. It was in my wallet during the ride, and every evening when we made the stop for the day, I would take the photo out and glance at it. It gave me strength to finish the ride- that and the friendships I forged on this ride. We were birds of the same feather, bound by the zeal for exploration.
It was over too soon and now I am back home. Sometimes, I wander on the beaches and reminiscence my times in the mountains. Both are wonders of Mother Nature; infinite in their own way and now, an integral part of my heart.
Here’s a video of Ebronah, depicting here gruelling journey to the top, with her sharing her experiences along the way, followed by a huge image gallery
