“My father taught me to ride a Chetak scooter when I was 16. It was pretty unusual for a lot of girls but I grew up in a house where there was no discrimination based on gender. I could do anything that was a ‘man’s job’ according to society. Initially, I learnt it for fun but over the years, it became something I enjoyed. My friends in college would ask me to teach them to ride a bike. That’s how the idea of launching a startup to help women learn bike riding surfaced. My younger daughter, who loves coming with me on road trips, calls me superwoman because I help other women.

With Sherides, I want to make women more comfortable and empowered in terms of mobility. I used to see underprivileged girls walk long distances to reach their colleges or offices. It began with training them first. However today, it’s like any other business where people pay me to teach them to ride a bike – both gearless and geared. I have diverse customers who belong to different age groups and backgrounds. I teach following all the traffic rules and safety guidelines. Sometimes, they are as young as 18 and other times, as old as 85. Honestly, it’s a learning experience for me as much as it is for them. Over the week that I train them, I try and keep it as professional as possible. But sometimes, we share a special bond and they open up to me about their problems. Today I am proud of the fact that we have taught 25000+ students and also provided jobs close to 10,000 women through mentoring. We are providing jobs to the people in different sectors,
including the women from underprivileged and to those who are looking for jobs. We are looking forward to the Collaborations/ Sponserships as the CSR funding shall allow us to train and create more opportunities.

Most women, I’ve realised, don’t find listeners who care to let them talk and share their troubles. I sit down and chat with them, helping them cope up with whatever’s going on in their lives. It’s not a part of my job but what do I lose in offering a shoulder to cry on?”

• Archana Chigullapally, Biker