ISSUE 11 | NOVEMBER 2019
BIKERS CLUB | MAGAZINE | PAGE 57
SAVE THE GIRL CHILD
In India, riders ride for different causes, some rides
for their own peace and fun, some for clubs, and
some for cause. As a Army guy, I had a privilege to
roam across the country and in those places too
where civilians are not allowed but that was when
I was in Army actively, but after my retirement my
old passion took over and started to roam again,
but this time not as a Lt Col, but Lt Col Sohan Roy
(Retd) like everyone else but my discipline and
wanting to explore more and more never
changed. And till 2015 I have rode many places
including my ride to war memorials but one
morning at my home in Pune I read a article on
Save the girl child with some statistics, which says
"239,000 girls in India face the ire of horrific
gender discrimination every year, losing their
precious lives to the deep- rooted patriarchal
social ways."
India, among the mystic land of religion, the
wonder land of multitude of faiths and beliefs, the
huge Diaspora of culture; above all, amidst the
unfathomable grandiose of Gods and deities,
stands the ugly face of abuse it hands down to it's
most sacred core, the lost, neglected and
tragically abused girl child.
"The heavens weep in dismay... as another God
of eve is sent to her early grave."
There is something indeed very eerie about
traditions and rituals, especially when it comes to
the evils that all the human mind. The Indian
society has long suffered the malice of an
obsession with the male child. Such has been the
fanaticism, that even the most literate and
intelligent minds have also defied the basic logic's
of science in their battle for the 'most coveted
male child.' From such incomprehensible and
despicable mindsets, emanate the horrific
practices of female infanticide, which ironically
defies all confines of social, economic and even
intellectual status.
Article was big, but in-short after reading that my
soul shook and I went in to a deep introspection, I
wanted to do something on it, I would call it a
'Personal Social Responsibility' and because
only lucky couple gets girl child. And in a
scriptures we read "Girl is Devi." to whom we
worship.
I decided to spread awareness in the hypocrite
mindsets of the society, but alone how could I make
this happen? This was the question I asked myself
but soon realize that if I want to bring change then I
should start with myself and my family, although I
have a daughter and I feel lucky that she chose me
and Poonam as her parents, with this deep thought I
heard a voice of Poonam from behind "Why don't
you ride and spread the awareness about "Save the
Girl Child?" I looked at her and said that's wonderful,
I can do that, and as any which ways I was about to
ride for Guwahati for North East Riders Meet (NERM),
so decided to include this cause in my ride and also
decided to ride from East to West - Kibithoo to
Koteshwar for "Save the Girl Child" cause.
Now this what I called a chemistry between me & my
wife we share, she realized looking at my face and
seeing that I was reading an article on
'Female Infanticide', so she helped me clear my
confusion.
Soon I started preparing my ride and decided that
after NERM, will ride to Kibithoo, which is called a
East of North East where India and China shares their
borders. And from Kibithoo to Koteshwar which is in
extreme west in Gujarat - this includes a total kms of
3,746 (Single side).
NORTH EAST RIDERS MEET
Within few days, I transported my WIZARD (My bike
RE Classic 500 cc) in railways to Guwahati from Pune
and I flew down to Guwahati.
If I wanted I could have rode to Guwahati on bike but
because I have done that many a times so wanted to
start my ride from East. Usually riders do ride from
Kashmir to Kanyakumari and very few take up the
ride from East to West due to many reasons, Kashmir
to Kanyakumari has a considerably good roads which
passes through comparatively developed states than
North East states where roads are not smooth and
lots of inner-land permissions one has to take to ride
in Seven Sisters (North East's 7 states).
Generally riders who takes up East to West ride, starts
from Tezu and ends at Koteshwar because getting at
Kibithoo is very tough due to permissions and
pathetic road conditions but as I mentioned I like to
take up challenges so with all the adversity I decided
to Start from Kibithoo. And also but because of my
Army background it was easy for me to get there.