With a knife, pepper spray and dreams, she rides cross-country
Mumbai-based Merryl D’Souza completes Kerala leg; promotes ‘Safe City’ for women in distress
Mangaluru: When 29-year-old Merryl D’Souza reached Udupi on Tuesday, she was happy to see not just her family and relatives waiting to welcome her, but also locals. About 20-30 auto drivers, who were at the stand at Kallianpur in Udupi, rushed to her with a national flag and told her that her journey was incomplete without it. It was probably a rare occasion for many in Udupi to see a woman on a solo ride on her Avenger. She is in the state after having completed the Kerala leg on her itinerary.
Mumbai-based D’ Souza works with the corporate communication department of a property firm. After travelling on short trips, she decided to live her dreams of covering India from Kanyakumari to Kashmir (K2K) through her solo ride. She said that ever since she got her first bike about four years ago, she was waiting for this opportunity. Her mother was against her long distance rides, but her father, Paul, who hails from Trasi in Udupi, is crazy about racing cars and his interests probably rubbed off on her.
pepper spray and a knife to defend herself. Speaking about her future dream, she said, “My dream is to do the golden quadrilateral (Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai) on a Triumph.”
Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, from Honnavar, where she stopped to get her speedometer repaired, she said, “At the company where I am employed, we have an annual programme called ‘LOUD’ or ‘Live Out Your Dreams’, worth Rs 1.5 lakh, for employees. I applied this year and was selected.” Through this ride, she is also promoting the message of an NGO called ‘Safe City’, which helps women in distress.
She started her journey from Kanyakumari on June 24, from there she travelled through Kovalam, Alleppey, Calicut, Waynad, Kodagu and has now reached Udupi. “My dream has always been to travel to Leh in Ladakh. My friends and I have been planning this for two years, but either someone is getting married or having babies, so the trip never materialised. Kerala was a destination that I was really looking forward to. Sometimes when I halt, I see crowds rushing towards me, surprised that a lady is travelling all alone,” she recalled.
D’Souza was to halt in Dandeli, on Wednesday, and then enter Maharashtra on her way to Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and finally, Kashmir. She is expected to cover a distance of 6,000 km. Her day begins at about 5.30 am and after an hour’s yoga and meditation, her onward journey begins at 8.00 am. Initially, in Kerala she was a bit slow, but now she averages about 280 km per day. She winds the day’s journey by about 5.30 pm.
Mangaluru: When 29-year-old Merryl D’Souza reached Udupi on Tuesday, she was happy to see not just her family and relatives waiting to welcome her, but also locals. About 20-30 auto drivers, who were at the stand at Kallianpur in Udupi, rushed to her with a national flag and told her that her journey was incomplete without it. It was probably a rare occasion for many in Udupi to see a woman on a solo ride on her Avenger. She is in the state after having completed the Kerala leg on her itinerary.
Mumbai-based D’ Souza works with the corporate communication department of a property firm. After travelling on short trips, she decided to live her dreams of covering India from Kanyakumari to Kashmir (K2K) through her solo ride. She said that ever since she got her first bike about four years ago, she was waiting for this opportunity. Her mother was against her long distance rides, but her father, Paul, who hails from Trasi in Udupi, is crazy about racing cars and his interests probably rubbed off on her.
She said she planned to avoid cities and stop at offbeat places. She has already invested in extra lights and gear required for her long distance travel. She is also fully geared with
Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, from Honnavar, where she stopped to get her speedometer repaired, she said, “At the company where I am employed, we have an annual programme called ‘LOUD’ or ‘Live Out Your Dreams’, worth Rs 1.5 lakh, for employees. I applied this year and was selected.” Through this ride, she is also promoting the message of an NGO called ‘Safe City’, which helps women in distress.
She started her journey from Kanyakumari on June 24, from there she travelled through Kovalam, Alleppey, Calicut, Waynad, Kodagu and has now reached Udupi. “My dream has always been to travel to Leh in Ladakh. My friends and I have been planning this for two years, but either someone is getting married or having babies, so the trip never materialised. Kerala was a destination that I was really looking forward to. Sometimes when I halt, I see crowds rushing towards me, surprised that a lady is travelling all alone,” she recalled.
D’Souza was to halt in Dandeli, on Wednesday, and then enter Maharashtra on her way to Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and finally, Kashmir. She is expected to cover a distance of 6,000 km. Her day begins at about 5.30 am and after an hour’s yoga and meditation, her onward journey begins at 8.00 am. Initially, in Kerala she was a bit slow, but now she averages about 280 km per day. She winds the day’s journey by about 5.30 pm.
