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By Express News Service

A common question that every woman who has taken the road less taken has faced is “why?”. Why choose a hard career? Why be different? Why learn to ride? Why pick up a camera? Why go out? On Int’l Women’s Day, we caught up with a few heroes who answered these questions with a simple “Why not?” and went on to make a difference. They will forever inspire hard workers, goal setters and go-getters around us to go the extra mile!

Ain’t no mountain high enough (Remya R Pillai, rider)
As she takes out her bike again to head for the Himalayas after a long lull of two years, Kochi native Remya R Pillai is on cloud 9. She is riding to Spiti Valley in northeastern Himachal Pradesh along with her friends Sruthi R, Jincy V J Das, Sruthy Sreekumar and Shilka A P. They will be the first group of women from Kerala to ride to Spiti, where the temperature drops as low as -20 degree Celcius. “Though many men from Kerala have experienced Spiti Valley in winter, women riders haven’t. We will start and end the ride at Chandigarh between March 20 to April 1 on our bullets,” says Remya, who is also an HR professional. According to her weather will be their biggest challenge. “We all are passionate riders and have made many local trips. I went on a Khardung La to Kanyakumari road trip in 2019 with Sruthi, so the Himalayas are not new for us. I shed 20 kilos to ensure my body can withstand the harsh weather conditions. But we don’t need this ‘she tag’ really. We just want to be treated as equals,” adds Remya.

Realising dreams, one click at a time Reshma Mohan, photographer
While the wedding photography sector is known for its male hegemony, Reshma Mohan, 24, has carved a niche for herself in the field in a short period. The Thiruvananthapuram-native got a base model Canon EOS 700 DSLR camera during her first week in Thiruvananthapuram Press Club, where she was a photojournalism student. I didn’t even know the button to switch on the camera then,” quips Reshma. “During Cyclone Ockhi, I had taken photos of dead bodies brought to the shore. The image shook me. In another instance, I faced the wrath of a protester’s wife when I was clicking pictures of police attacking him in front of the Secretariat”, says Reshma of her journalism career. While running her studio ‘Wed Queen’, she says, it is equally difficult to work as a wedding photographer. In the highly competitive field, she was pushed around by male photographers a lot while trying to click the pictures of the bride and the groom tying the Mangalsutra. Reshma’s photography has gone viral many times, especially her maternity photoshoot that attracted numerous moral policing vitriols on social media platforms.

Mighty knight on motorcycles (Shyni Rajkumar, instructor)
Shyni was just a kid when she noticed a bullet. The moment she turned 18, she got her license and learnt to ride her father’s Royal Enfield. Now, at 39, a mother of an 18-year old son is the owner of a range of motorcycles. She has even kept the first bullet she bought while she was in Uttar Pradesh safely in her garage. “I started going for rides while I was living in UP. I was married and working as an office staff at a school. Initially, I would ride around the nearby villages. Within a few years, I started riding to other states. From Madhya Pradesh to Nepal, I rode wherever I could,” she says.

Despite the criticism, her entire family faced from her Malayali relatives when she returned to Kerala in 2007, she never gave up on her passion. She started working as a driving instructor and started a club for fellow women riders in 2016 called Dauntless Royal Riders. By now, she has organised multiple group trips to Goa and solo trips to Manali. On this women’s day, her club is organising a midnight ride around the capital city, inspiring women to claim their space in the world.

Kerala’s own Marvellous Ms Maisel (Aysha Nissar, stand-up comedian)
Aysha Nissar found her comic side while she was narrating Kalidasas Abhinjanashakunthalam to her friend, who couldn’t control her laughter. Aysha’s unoffensive jokes on the literary work helped her friend learn the story easily and ace her exam. “My friend was able to score high marks as she could remember the lessons due to my jokes. That’s when I realised I can use my jokes for a higher purpose,” says the 20-year-old. She learned the basics of the craft by binge-watching stand up comedy shows. Now, the Thiruvananthapuram-native has donned the cap of a stand-up comedian and does open mics along with Comedy Lounge Kochi. Her open mic contents are relatable for all women out there. “I focus more on societal stereotypes — like how difficult it is being a woman and the expectations of the society on women that looms over our heads and every small thing that a woman goes through daily,” says Aysha. In a male-dominated industry, Aysha aspires to make her career in stand up. “I believe there are many women who can make remarkable jokes. But society has deemed women unfunny,” adds Aysha. The youngster is currently studying at St Teresa’s College in Kochi and wants her words to reach a wider audience in Kerala.

Magic in her hands (Susheela, entrepreneur)
Susheela Chechi in Idukki is famous for her small hotel, Homely Meals. Famous for budget meals with around 21 accompanying dishes, Susheela has been serving people lunch for around a decade. Beside the Thodupuzha-Moolamattom road, her little hotel began as a small stall serving tea and lime juice to commuters. However, her cooking was famous among her neighbours and hungry customers, who never could find any hotels along the long stretch. “I used to provide lunch for people who travel along the road. I always cook an array of accompaniments even at home, and these people always commented that I should start a hotel. So, finally, I did,” says the 57-years-old Susheela. After her daughters got married, Susheela wanted to stand on her own. That’s how she started the stall and then later developed it as a hotel. Kudumbashree workers from nearby units help her out with cooking. But Susheela always makes sure she is active in kitchen duties along with everyone. Though she provides 21 accompanying dishes and various special items, she only charges Rs 100 for a meal, this is after a recent hike. During the pandemic, she slashed the prices to Rs 60 to make lunch more affordable. And for people in need and Covid patients locked up at home, Susheela provided free food packages to tide over the difficult period. “I love feeding people. I don’t like when people go hungry,” says the entrepreneur.

High of success (Gracy Thomas, entrepreneur)
Gracy Thomas is busy running Mahila Apparels that manufactures surgical gowns, PPE kits, masks and patient gowns — all things needed at a hospital. The entrepreneur hailing from Thuravoor employs over 600 women at several units spread across the district. She also crafts work wears, school wears, and men’s wear. “I have been actively working in the garment sector since 1997. I started with a stitching shop. From there, Mahila Apparels branched out. We started manufacturing hospital apparel as it has a demand around the year,” says the 52-year-old. Initially, the venture chose 2,500 Kudumbashree members to work at the units. They were given training from 2006 to 2015. Many of them were then appointed to the main unit in Angamaly. Gracy claims the venture struggled a lot in the beginning to get orders. “Since we are a group of women, many were sceptical of giving orders to us. Orders started pouring in when we made a brand name,” she says. Mahila Apparels also export items to Qatar and Oman. Gracy aspires to start a Women Apparel Park in Angamaly, a place to bring in garment based brands and units under one roof. “This is one of our dream projects. If this can come through, then it can give employment to around 2,000 people,” says Gracy.

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