Biker Divas | Eps. 6 | Dr. Aparna Bandodkar - Dentist by profession and Biker by passion

[00:00:00] Today, Biker Divas is with us, by Aparna Bandodkar. He is the one who gave me the first bike tip in my life. We had fought together and we went to Ladakh. And I told you that this journey of mine was totally wrong.

[00:00:32] After practicing a little in a small city, people go to Ladakh to do Ladakh. But my journey was totally wrong. I started from there and today I am also a Biker. So, first of all, thank you so much. You have inspired all the girls and not just us.

[00:00:52] So, seeing all the girls, you always inspire them. Thank you Prajapta. Thanks a lot. When I came to Ladakh and we were in a hostel, the owner of the hostel said that this person comes to our hostel every year while riding solo.

[00:01:15] So, since when did this journey started? Because I know that you are a writer, you do yoga, you travel. There are many things but if you are told about the bike, it is like breathing for you. So, the journey of traveling started with the bullet.

[00:01:38] Whereas, I was very interested in life. When I learnt bike, I was very young and financially I was not that strong. When I learnt motorcycling, I was just in 7th grade school. So, I was interested in motorcycles so I learnt it as an interest.

[00:01:59] But the cycling of KEDA Kata, it was with my bullet that I entered. Because before that, when I travelled, I felt that there is no independence. How? You have to depend on public travel transport and if you want to explore the place,

[00:02:16] then you take many modes of transport because of the struggle. But it is very inconvenient. But when you come to your motorcycle, you have to have your own motorcycle. Wherever you want to go, we can go there. No need to be nervous on someone.

[00:02:35] So, that's how this bullet came. Initially, I started my journey with my friends. Because at that time, I was understanding how to travel. I was not even confident about travelling alone. I thought that if I am on a break down with a new bike,

[00:02:53] if I am travelling and someone did something, then it was also mental blockages. But as time went by, I got confidence. And later I said that I am an independent woman. Atman Irbar. I don't have to depend on other factors.

[00:03:12] But after travelling with people, I will be safe. No, I have my own safety in my hands. If you know your motorcycle, it is breaking down in and out parts. As days go by, you can understand what can be a break down. So, we leave with the preparation.

[00:03:33] So, indeed, I left with other participants or friends. But one point came that if you are going with people, then you have to take a break from someone. A break of tea on tea. Someone has to stop somewhere where I don't want to stop.

[00:03:48] Or there are such spots where I see birds somewhere. There is an interesting spot and I don't have any item. I have to change it. But other participants or friends of the group won't agree. And sometimes, especially before planning a trip,

[00:04:02] if there is a problem of your holidays, then some people can't come. So, according to that, I am the owner of my own clinic. So, I feel that when I get time between my patients, and when I feel that I should go now,

[00:04:19] I can take some time out. So, yes, I just leave. Don't have to be dependent on anybody. It's just you and your machine which you know in and out properly. And eventually, after a few years, I felt that India is not that scary.

[00:04:36] We are scared of people or we listen to news about incidents or we listen to some media and make our own conceptions. But it's not like that. I have received help from many times from my country. I mean educated people can understand you and help you.

[00:04:54] And uneducated people who are in the field, a farmer gave me some nut poles and my silence has dropped. He has helped me in that breakdown. It has happened. So, when I got help, I got it from unexpected ways and I never got scared of people.

[00:05:12] So, I would say India is very safe to travel as a solo woman traveler. I have always received help. I will take you to a flashback when you have to do this when you have to strike and learn to ride a bike at any cost.

[00:05:38] Actually, I never had a gear motorcycle when I understood it. So, somehow it had a magnetic effect towards motorcycles. I used to think that this machine has to be driven. Motorcycles where gear is shifting. So, somehow I was inclined to learn to ride a motorcycle.

[00:05:59] So, I was in the process of learning to ride a motorcycle. I still don't know how to use a kinetic motorbike. Because I never gave it a try. I didn't feel like it. So, I had tried once. When I and my husband were not married,

[00:06:15] we were taking a test ride in many showrooms to select motorcycles. So, at that time he asked me, are you sure you want to ride a motorcycle? I said, yes. Whenever I tried, since school time, the first thing I tried and learned was a 100cc motorcycle of TVS.

[00:06:34] Later on, as I went to college, I asked people for motorcycles. And after trying different motorcycles, I zeroed down and asked what I wanted in life. So, I have always ridden motorcycles. I always wanted to ride a motorcycle in college, even in dental college.

[00:06:52] So, the locals used to come on motorcycles. In fact, I would tell them to save money. If you don't want to ride a motorcycle, then I want to take a bike round on your motorcycle. So, you give me a motorcycle, and you are saved from riding.

[00:07:08] No more riding for you. So, I used to try a lot of motorcycles. So, that was my journey. I always rode motorcycles. So, when you started riding motorcycles, how did you learn motorcycles? And how was the support of parents? When I bought a motorcycle for commuting,

[00:07:34] because I used to go to 3 clinics and it would be difficult to travel in 3 clinics. Because I had to reach the clinics at that time. That's why I bought a motorcycle earlier, which was 125cc. My purpose was to reach 3 clinics in 3 slots

[00:07:52] and my time was commuting, travelling, bus, rickshaw. I wasn't wasted in all these things. And I work more. So, that was my target, so I bought commuters. So, your profession also contributes to this? Yes, absolutely. One of the contributing factors is

[00:08:11] because I first wanted to ride a motorcycle and for that, I started commuting. Later on, it turned into a passion and I became a traveller. Like I opened my own clinic, I bought a ticket with hard earned money and hard cash for 1 year. That was my target.

[00:08:32] I have commuted for 4-5 years at Bajaj Platina. But now, I need a machine which I think is the most important thing and I need a machine which helps me in my journey to explore the country. Because 125cc was not capable.

[00:08:50] It was 60-70 km per hour and it was vibrating at speed. It was a luggage issue. The tires were thin. It couldn't cover the distance. So, I need a sturdy machine which if you are travelling in 15-20 days or in an interstate tour, helps you in your journey.

[00:09:12] You can carry your luggage or your spare parts. It is stable enough and it keeps you on the ground. It is off-roading, it has any terrain or climate. If you are travelling in Himalayas, oxygen is less. And it also struggles for oxygen. So, a machine should be good.

[00:09:35] It can be used in any weather condition or on any road. It can be used with you. And it can fit your luggage properly. So, that's how I purchase a bullet. Okay. So, you have done so many solo rides. So, one journey which you would like to share

[00:10:05] with us is your travel tale. I will tell you about my first Ladakh trip. First trip. In fact, it was my third trip with my Bijli. But it was the first trip of Ladakh. So, it happened that we had crossed Kargil. And we were going to Kargil city.

[00:10:29] In fact, Sonmarh had crossed. And roads were damaged there. And there were some border roads and organizations. B.R.O. were working on the road. And on one side, beautiful valleys are going down. I mean, the Himalayan river is going down.

[00:10:45] I think there was a point where there was a river where the stream was going. And on the other side, the road was also working. So, I pressed the brake very hard on the slope of the Kus. And because there was concrete there

[00:10:59] and there was a lot of construction work. So, the tyre was skidded and I fell down. And as soon as I fell down, I was going in between the valleys. A truck came from the front and stopped in front of the bike.

[00:11:14] The tyre was in front of my mouth. Thankfully, it had brakes on time. Because of which I was saved. My handlebar and the front tyre almost front. The part of the truck. I mean, they were taking the puppy. Literally, it was edge to edge.

[00:11:32] The tyre part didn't go to me. So, I asked myself what happened to that. How did it suddenly fall? So, I said nothing. I was careful. All the riders picked up my stuff and stopped to drink water in the neighborhood. So, I had a waste pouch.

[00:11:50] At that time, I was used to it. I also kept a waste pouch on the riding jacket where there are many things in front of me. If there is a check post, I have to show my documents. There is a small camera. There are many things.

[00:12:02] I have to take out the ID proofs. I used to tie the waste pouch in front of my riding jacket. So, I loosened it up. I started sweating. The tyre was in front of me. The truck was in front of me. So, the waste pouch actually fell behind.

[00:12:21] It broke. I didn't understand. I drank water and we left. Three riders left. One rider came with me from Delhi. He was riding behind me. He asked me what happened? Why did you stop? I said, something is missing. Then I realized that my pouch fell down.

[00:12:39] It was about 2012. When demonetization didn't happen, I took hard cash with me. There was no card. Sometimes, I used to keep ATMs. Sometimes, I used to stay closed. Sometimes, I used to keep JNK's A-Gate-M. Sometimes, I used to keep a HBI. I carried cash with me.

[00:12:58] I had around 40,000 cash with me. Around 40,000 rupees. The trip was 17-20 days. I carried all the ID proofs. There were two cameras. One was small and one was big. I had a lot of things. I had a driving license and all the proofs were in it.

[00:13:17] So, as soon as it fell down, I started sweating more. I was less interested in falling. I was more interested in falling. I said, where did it fall? I turned around and saw it. I didn't see it anywhere. I saw a caravan of an army.

[00:13:34] The army was going. I stopped them. I told the officer that I was going to find it. I asked him if he could find it. He said, I couldn't find it from the workers. I asked him if I could find it.

[00:13:48] I said, I will contact you if I get it. I gave him some details. I kept searching for it. It took me a long time. I was almost 40 minutes tired. I was looking for it. Then, we left Asha. We said, we will have to go to the FIRE.

[00:14:06] In Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. We left and started crying in the helmet. It was the first trip of my life. It was the first trip of my life. It was the fourth day. I was going to enter Kargil. The same army officer was standing in the truck.

[00:14:29] He started waving. He was showing me the pouch from far away. It had a color of green. I was so happy I went there. I actually offered them. I said, thank you. I didn't want to throw happiness. The army helped me. I knew they helped.

[00:14:48] It was a first-hand experience. I offered to give them. I took out Rs.10,000 from my pocket. I offered them. I said, thank you for taking it. He said, we are here for the service of people. We don't want anything from you.

[00:15:05] The Government of India is giving us money. Help in any crisis. This is our duty. We don't want money from you. You are not safe. You will not be safe. You will reach home safely. We took a group photo. That was a memorable thing for me.

[00:15:30] I heard that in 2018, someone had a accident. I was scared. I was scared. I was scared. There was a accident with someone. You have come back from that. What happened exactly? In 2018, there was a life changing year for me. I saw a lot of things change.

[00:15:57] I saw my life change. It has turned 360 degrees. I planned a bike trip in July 2018 for Tamil Nadu. I was researching on the 5th earth on the 5th earth. I was studying on them. My father taught me yoga in childhood. He was very tough.

[00:16:33] He was 13-50 years old. I excelled in yoga. He taught me to teach. I was a mental block. I overcame that. I was exploring myself with respect to meditation. I was going to the place where I was interested.

[00:17:00] I planned a trip to the 5th earth on the 5th earth. There was only one country in the world. I planned this trip for 2 weeks. I joined a yoga class. I started back pain. I didn't understand what it was. After that, I went on a trip.

[00:17:27] In the middle of the trip, I started feeling pain. I went to a temple in Lepakshi. I did chakrasan for a photo. After that, I got a bit of a back ache. I didn't pay attention to it. I thought I would be tired.

[00:17:50] I came from Mumbai to Sira district. It was a journey of 890 kms. I thought I did 890 kms in a day. I felt that it was because of that. When I did chakrasan, my back was fine. I ignored it. When I came back after a trip,

[00:18:17] I felt my feet were feeling pain within 2 weeks. I felt my knee pain. My calf and foot were feeling pain. I was in pain for 2 weeks. I couldn't work. I had to leave for 2 weeks. I saw a physiotherapist. I found out that this is sciatica.

[00:18:39] My disc was out of the body. It has a sciatic nerve. It is the biggest nerve of a rope. It was going out of the body. It was going out of the body. The vertebrae were crushing the bones of the back. My right foot was feeling pain.

[00:19:04] If I don't address it, then the sensation of my right foot will go away. It was a doctor's word. When compensation comes in a few months or years, it might lead to loss of sensation. That means paraplegia. Paralysis of both my limbs. Waste down.

[00:19:26] I was told a surgery of 8-10 lbs. I refused to do the surgery. I said that I won't go under the knife. I didn't want to do it. When I tried physiotherapy, all the exercises were for back bending. I applied a logic from the back bending.

[00:19:44] I applied a logic from the back bending. Physiotherapy was a modern exercise. But my yoga was going on for 10,000 years. When I started yoga, I started doing some Dhanurasan, Chakraasan, Shalabhasan. I had a little background. I didn't give yoga seriously in life.

[00:20:06] I gave it up for 15-20 years. I was beating around the bush. I tried gym, cycling. But when this situation came, I hit the wrong button. I felt that I couldn't do what I like to do in life. I couldn't cook in the kitchen.

[00:20:23] I couldn't go to dental clinic and practice. I couldn't do kickstart or motorcycling. If it gets worse, doctors say that it's a paraplegia. So I felt that I'm very depressed. I had suicidal thoughts in my life. But then I bounced back with yoga. When I started doing Asanas,

[00:20:47] I started feeling sensation in 3-4 months. I had side effects of medicines. So I tasted my own poison. Being an alopethian doctor. So I started exploring all the holistic approaches. I felt benefit from Asanas. I was in no mobility for a few months.

[00:21:12] After few months, I felt that I was getting weight because of not exercising. So I started to feel less weight. I started to change a lot of things in life. What was one of the best moments of your life? It's a story of a bird.

[00:21:29] I rescued a bird. There was a bird sanctuary in Kaggaladu. I searched on Google and found painted stocks there. I like bird photography. I also like birds. I have seen birds. I have seen birds on the bike. That's why I tell you that I enjoy solo rides.

[00:21:56] I saw birds somewhere. I went to the reverse and found that there was no other group. So it's a liberty for me to stay there. I will take my own breaks if I want to take photos of birds. I knew about this sanctuary.

[00:22:13] So I thought I would go there and take photos. There were many trees of tamarind tree. They had been made by the painted stocks. There were many painted stocks on 6-7 branches. There were about 100 stocks on one branch. There were their children, their nests, juvenile babies.

[00:22:35] The season I went to was July-August. At that time, the children were growing up and the air was filling up in the air. So I took a bike to take photos. Suddenly a small child was learning about the painted stocks. He hit a rock with his fingers.

[00:22:56] The air was filling up in the air. He came in front of me. Unfortunately, a local bike was going. His collision with that bike crashed. He broke his leg and fell in front of me. I still have the video with me. I felt very strange.

[00:23:20] He was fighting in front of me. His legs are so thin. It's like a branch of a tree. He broke his leg with the impact of a small child. He didn't even wake up. I asked the housekeeper if there is a doctor or a hospital.

[00:23:44] He said that he would die. I told him that I would have to take him. I kept on roaming in the village for half an hour. I requested him. I said that my bike is here. Someone came with me and took that bird with him.

[00:24:00] We go to the doctor. I was asked if there is a doctor here. There was an elderly person who said that there is a hospital for animals. I was really very relaxed. There is an animal hospital. I requested a lot of people. I asked 10-15 people.

[00:24:19] After that, an uncle came. He said that he was going to the city. There was a language barrier. It was in Karnataka. He was from a village called Kadivasi. He was not able to speak Hindi. He understood English less than English.

[00:24:37] I told him that I am a hospital doctor. He understood that there is a hospital here. A district of Parishad. I asked him to take him. Because of the paniers, we kept the bird on one side as a support. We reached the hospital.

[00:24:56] I filled the form in the hospital. I stopped and filled the forms. I said that what will happen with this bird? He said that he will give treatment. He will go back to the same place as rehabilitation. He might have kept it in a bird sanctuary.

[00:25:11] I completed my ride for 2 weeks. I came back to ask him. He said that he is recovering. He is alive. I was very happy. I felt guilty first of all. I am taking good photos for my selfishness. If someone has an accident, it is my duty.

[00:25:36] If someone has an accident, it is a human being. It is very important to help. I think God gave me an animal hospital. It was totally animal hospital. A person who was a Sajjan helped me. He said that in spite of language barrier,

[00:25:54] we could give that bird treatment. Where did you get the best food for so many rides? Food is good from everywhere. Our country is filled with variety. There are so many varieties with respect to climate. Every 100 km, the language changes. The climate changes. The old houses are changed.

[00:26:27] We can see changes in the structures. Food, clothes, clothes, attires, etc. Everything changes in every state. There are so many varieties. I cannot really select. Where is good and where is bad. When I go south, I feel that dosa, idli, appam, idiappam, there are so many varieties.

[00:26:52] Puttu, fried banana. Kerala fried bananas are very good. I take my breaks. The coconut water is also different. The nature is also different. In Gujarat, you will find some different coconut. In Kumbhkhand, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and other places. In Tamil Nadu, there are long elongated oblong.

[00:27:18] There are so many varieties. Even in food, local cuisines are different. If there is a custom, there is a different taste in Karnataka. In Tamil Nadu, it is different. So, it is like that. But in Rajasthan, Gujarati food is very good.

[00:27:37] And in South Indian food is also very good. So, what message would you like to give to women bikers? Don't stop yourself. People don't think about what they will say or think. Nowadays women don't think much. But don't stop yourself. Don't bring doubt. Don't question yourself.

[00:28:03] Just remember that the power, every woman is a power of power. The power which is not Kundalini energy, will rise only then you will get it from Shiva. Which is a Ling. So, if you are strong from the inside, then no energy of the outside will affect you.

[00:28:22] You just have to make a decision. I am going to go to this place today. I am making it my itinerary. I have to achieve this goal. No one can stop you from achieving that goal. Don't think too much. Don't indulge in negativity. If it happens like this,

[00:28:41] then it is necessary to get rid of all these doubts. Because the artist doesn't think that he doesn't have confidence. And because of less confidence, he makes some mistakes. Or he doesn't take steps. He misses the first stage. So, if you want to achieve a goal,

[00:29:02] then the first step is to learn your motorcycle first. Take your own motorcycle. There are no days like today when you have to request someone. And if you have to do it, then there is nothing small. Some may be your friend, brother, father, or any of your husband.

[00:29:21] Just tell them once that you want to ride a motorcycle and fulfill your wish. Then you will think that one day that you will not be regretting in life. That I wish I had asked. No. And if you are a Saxam, then take your own motorcycle

[00:29:38] and go on your own. We have a choice. Even though God decides, God decides that today because it's like man proposes, God disposes. Sometimes things don't happen according to the planning. God's plans are different. He decides that all your plans can be in the house.

[00:29:56] But you don't have to leave any hope. You have to get up even after falling. And because of one incident, you don't have to stop yourself. You don't have to think. You don't have to be in negativity. I can't go ahead or you can go ahead.

[00:30:12] You can go ahead. Keep trying. There will be a time when you will think that if I had left this thing at that stage, then I wouldn't have achieved it. Because I have tried multiple times. Yes. I can take it as a success right now.

[00:30:27] I am enjoying the fruits of success. Thank you, Apalya. Thank you so much. It was a pleasure. Thank you Prajakta. It was equally pleasurable experience for me too. I have some experiences with you. And the limited knowledge that I have, I can share it.

[00:30:45] And I hope it helps a lot of people. And I have increased the number of others in India. When I started this, it was a very low demand. But now as many women are coming forward, they are coming out of their shell. It's really commendable.

[00:31:05] And I would like to see the day-to-day scene on the signal. Sometimes I am standing alone with my motorcycle. And people look at me like eight strangers. I want this scene to be the opposite of the next 10 or 5 years. When we see women driving a car,

[00:31:24] we see a lot of women on the motorcycle. Or even on the motorcycle, we see them on the signal. On a daily basis. Definitely.