After a break of one year, Zenith Irfan is once again all set to roam around Lahore with her motorcycle.
She is an enthusiastic motorcyclist, who first made waves after completing a cross country odyssey last year in which she made her way from Lahore to Neelam Valley. Zenith gained national and international fame as she set an example for ladies around the world.
We are documenting one of her interviews here so you can find out about Zenith’s inspiration and the hitches she had to face on her way to fame.
How much of your country had you seen before the 3 week trip?
That’s a really nice question because I initially did not know the beauty Pakistan encompasses. I never knew how Pakistan was so beautiful. All I was exposed to was People telling me to go to Kashmir as it’s the heaven on earth. When I finally made the decision of going out there and exploring myself it was more like a shock at how beautiful the country was.
Three weeks all across Pakistan Zenith Irfan tasted this kind of freedom as she set out an an epic motorcycle journey with nothing but free hearted soul. Why did you take off on this trip?
I did for my father, when my father was posted in the army I remember him telling my mother that he had a dream of going on a motorcycle journey all across the world , but he could not go as he was married at a young age he had a job and with my mom expecting my brother he said he already had two kids and was bound with family pressures and can’t do all that I aspired to he passed at a very young age 34 he left so many of his dreams so when I was 12 years old we were going through some family photos and my mother got this crazy idea that I should pursue his dream and create a legacy for my father. At the beginning I was like my mother is crazy as to how she will allow her daughter to go on such a trip. Kids are usually bounded with certain limitations like parent don’t quickly allow the kids to go on trips and have due to societal pressure and the restrictive culture.
- You are certainly not the first women to ride a bike but the most high profile one
What message did it deliver to Young women in Pakistan?
It opened a lot of perspectives, parents are not allowing girls to go to trips because of me, When I saw this picture decided to work more on women empowerment, firstly they were paranoid Through my photographic blog I proved that its our country and as they found out that they can ride freely without insecurity and ride freely they were like now we guess can send our kids to this area plus motorcycle is the most dangerous vehicle to travel in, I suggested motorcycle instead of car because ti gives you a 360 view of everything that surrounds you like air and sand and you are going through every experience both mental physical and spiritual I encourage everyone to keep motorcycle as a travel buddy
- Did anyone hassle you when you were on the roads?
None hassled me, it could be because I was dressed as a tom boy, and had my motorcycle gear; but for one man near khunjrab pass a guard who said that I should go home and not ride the bike I just smiled at him and it was the only negative commented
- You wrote on your face book page you hinted a reason you also took the journey cause the prophet said “Don’t tell me how educated you are tell me about how much you have travelled”
Share with us how that motivated you?
You see when we are studying and when we are in school uni we were always asked about to learn things like formulas concepts and definitions. But we are not asked to experience them
Its good to have education not disregarding it completely but its important to travel and see things for yourself, exploring cultures and how see how people have lived earlier and continue to live so in simple environments is very important for our mind and whole spiritual being. Books can give you greater perspective but travel will open doors to many new possibilities. This is the common denominator between that quote and my life because not only I want to learn concepts.
- Motorcylce journeys have often been equated as adventures of discovery I remember that book Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. What have you learnt about yourself on this trip?
I saw a different side of Zenith, which I never knew existed within me, for me I never knew I could ride for such long hours and be so spiritually liberated through these journeys. I had no training knew only how to balance the clutch gear and breaks and accelerator. No training for the journey one day I just closed my eyes I took off no training for the journey it was a big challenge for me and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I could do and how much my spiritual being was enlightened through the whole journey. The biggest thing that I have learnt is that how a single vehicle can change your own life and how you look at life.
- Are you going to eventually complete your fathers dream to motorcycle across the world?
Yes I am planning to.I haven’t seen whole of Pakistan yet just a part of Pakistan once that is done I will move to other destinations and it’s in my list that I will travel across the globe soon.
