Akanksha Panwar: Motorcycling Individualism...

Some people exercise, some play music and for some, nothing works better than throttle juggling. Let us introduce you to a petrol head who believes that if there is one thing that makes life worth living, then it is doing what you love most. Akanksha Panwar, a business consultant by profession and an adventurist by heart has a bagful of achievements at such a young age that it will mortify many of us leading a torpor life.

Akanksha is an international mountaineer who has summited more peaks than the number of times you and I had a heavy workout at the gym. She has aced Mt. Renok, Mt. Frey, Mt. Deo Tibba, Mt. Kabru Dome, Mt. Nun, Mt. Kun, Mt. Satopanth and the list keeps on getting longer with time. She's still at it looking for more peaks to conquer.

The first memories of her riding on a motorcycle come from her early day perched on her uncle’s Yezdi, when she first caught the bug of motorcycling. From Yezdi to Royal Enfield, she sat on the tank along with her uncle imagining herself riding the bike soon. This was when she discovered her connection with motorcycles deciding that she will buy one for herself as soon as she would be able to.

As she grew older, her obsession with motorcycles encouraged her to buy her own Royal Enfield 350 Standard, round about when she started riding in 2007. It was this carburetted single that shaped a rider out of her. She had grown older admiring it, hence was an obvious choice as her first bike. After two years of riding, she started expanding her limits and went on to challenge herself covering 2,200 km in just 3.5 days. En route Tanot and Longewalaen road, Jodhpur, she successfully completed this challenge riding along with two other motorcyclists. This experience evolved her inner bustling spirit into being a more mature, more patient motorcyclist who learned things are not easy on roads and what it takes to overcome anything that life throws at you.

Life is all about taking it as it comes and making the right decisions (which can be hard sometimes), and one of the hardest decisions for her to make was selling off her bike when she had to move out of the country for higher studies. But she knew that it will be over soon and after returning back to India, she bought herself a bigger Royal Enfield, the Standard Bullet 500. Today, she heads a motorcycling group that currently comprises of more than 50 riders and is called as ‘Riders On Roadsters’ or ROAR. The group is highly astir when it comes to regular morning rides as well as long weekend trips.

“Fascination and charm for motorcycling has been running through my veins since childhood. This attraction became stronger in 2007 when I bought probably the only roadster available in India, Royal Enfield. When I first wore my gear and mounted the saddle, it seemed like I never learned how to ride this machine, instead riding came to me naturally, like I always knew how to. Ever since then, my bike has just taken me to places, exploring the unexplored, giving me a new perspective of world and life altogether.

Riding for me is all about exploring myself and knowing how far I can push boundaries! It gives me challenges that come along with new learning and skill development that motorcycling teaches me. Real thrill should always be accompanied by giving utmost priority to safety. Riding safe is equally important as riding well. I believe that everybody should get prepared before any adventure. Biking is an adventurous sport and its rules shall always be respected,” says Akanksha.