From buried dreams to Umling La: Saina’s solo motorcycle journey

At 40, Saina embarked on a solo motorcycle journey to Ladakh and Umling La on her Royal Enfield Meteor 350. After weeks of preparation and thousands of kilometres of riding, she reached the high-altitude destination, proving that dreams can be pursued at any age

Hyderabad: At 40, Saina wanted to reach the high-altitude destination by road, on her own motorcycle and riding solo. On August 20, she embarked on the journey to Ladakh and onward to Umling La on her Royal Enfield Meteor 350.

She planned her own itinerary, selected her stops and decided her daily riding distances. On September 2, she reached her destination. After weeks of preparation and thousands of kilometres of riding, the reality of standing at Umling La overwhelmed her.

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“People may see a woman on a motorcycle. They may see the highways, mountains, photographs and destination. But they won’t see everything that happened before the journey began—the preparation, sacrifices, pain, doubts, fear and courage it took to simply start,” she says.

This journey brought together three versions of Saina: the little girl who loved riding, the woman who had buried her dreams beneath responsibilities, and the woman who finally decided to bring those dreams back to life.

“I spent many years living the life that was expected of me. Now, I’m living the life that I choose,” she says.

Telangana Women Moto Bikers (TWMB) congratulated Saina on her remarkable solo journey and celebrated the message behind it: women can pursue their dreams at any stage of life, with preparation, responsibility, courage and self-belief.