In conversation with Anam Hashim, the youngest female stunt motorcyclist in India

How did it all start for Anam Hashim?

It all started when I was in the 10th grade in school. I used to ride a bicycle back then and one fine day while going back home from school, I heard some unusual sound of motorcycles and got pulled towards it. Some guys were trying to pull off some stunts, popping wheelies,  attempting stoppies. I didn’t even know what it was called then. It all began there, and 10th being a crucial year for studies, the parental pressure was there.

My fascination with what I had seen these guys doing the other day wouldn’t let me sleep. One day,  me and my brother just slipped out with my mom’s Activa because I had to try the stunts. I did manage to do small stunts on the Activa and was super happy. The day proved to be a turning point in my life.

My brother and I made a video later of me stunting and uploaded it on YouTube which went viral. People were commenting and appreciating the fact that a girl is doing stunts that too on a scooter which gave me the necessary push. I soon moved to Pune because I had seen stunt riders being active in the city and wanted to do the same myself.

As a woman in this field…

I started stunting with the local boys in Pune back in 2013. I came to Pune for education and my love for stunting grew simultaneously. I have seen a lot of girls who come in to this field of stunting but couldn’t continue for long. I would say this is the toughest kind of riding that I have ever done and think anyone can ever do. You need presence of mind while stunting. You are on one wheel; you need to balance, you need to use the accelerator, brakes and your body weight at the same time.

I have done motocross, off-road and soon will be getting on the track, but yes stunting is always the most challenging. Being a woman has always got me a lot of positive support from the audience which has only helped me strengthen my focus towards stunting.

Favourite motorcycle yet…

The Kawasaki ZX-6R tops my list. I rode the motorcycle last year in Thailand on one of my trips to check out how the stunts are performed there. When I rode it, I became very clear about why it is the perfect stunt bike. It has perfect balance, even if you ride this bike in stock setup, it is possible to pull wheelies. In most bikes you have to upgrade, change the stock gear ratios most of the times. I currently own an Apache 180 in which I rebored the engine to fit a bigger 210cc head and altered the gear ratios for stunting purposes.

Being an inspiration…

As far as I have seen, both men and women are very overwhelmed to see a girl so active in a sport which is primarily male dominated. People come and ask how to get started with stunting, how to make a career out of this. They take me as a mentor who can help them get an insight into the sport.

Message to girls…

Everyone rides a motorcycle. Your bike does not know your gender, it’s all in your head. For a rider it’s a machine and for the bike it’s just a random body. Do not fear getting on a motorcycle and riding. I would urge women to get into some kind of motorsports because once you get in your physical and mental fitness goes up tremendously. Wear proper safety gear when you are on a motorcycle or a scooter because safety is of utmost importance. It does not matter if you are riding on a highway or any internal road, when you wear proper safety gear, even a crash won’t affect you badly.