Sonia Jain

Sonia Jain (19 October 1986 in Delhi, India) is a competitive motorcyclist and long distance rider.[1]

Sonia Jain
Sonia Jain at India - Myanmar Border during Tri Nation Ride, Aug 2018
Born (1986-10-19) 19 October 1986
NationalityIndian
OccupationMotorcyclist and Freelancer
Years active2009 - Present

After her education just to be able to win a bike she participated and won 'The India Bike Rally' (2009) organized by Yamaha and BIGADDA.[2][3][4] The rally covered 10,000 km, 17 states and 67 cities in 33 days. Next was the 'Yamaha SZ Tour' (2010) again a 33-day PAN India rally where covering 8,000 km.[5] She motorcycled her way through Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.[6] In 2016, Sonia Jain rode the Indian Chief vintage motorcycle on a 1,883 km long journey from Delhi to Goa for the India Bike Week.[7][8]

In August 2018, Jain embarked on a 5000 km Tri-National ride from Delhi to Bangkok, Thailand via Myanmar. The ride was flagged off on Independence Day from India Gate by actor Milind Soman. "The idea is not just to go on a bike ride but also to documment the diversity in the cultures and people from the three countries. We are meeting the locals of all the cities we visit, documenting stories, getting local tales and anecdotes, and  carrying a message of cultural harmony," says Sonia.[9][10]


In January 2017, Sonia Jain registers her name in the Limca Book of records and India Book of records[11] for being the first woman to ride 100 different models of motorcycles, the highest in India as of Aug 2016. The motorcycles varied from 60 cc, 63 kg Sunny to 1811 cc, 360 kg Indian Road master along with vintage motorcycles like Ariel, BMW R69, Rajdoot GTS 175/ Bobby and Triumph 1942 3HW.[12][11]

In June 2017, Jain rides across Uttarakhand on a Triumph Bonneville T100 mototcycles for 5 days. The ride covered 1400 km, starting from Delhi to Mana, the last village in India on the Chinese border via Haridwar, Rishikesh and Badrinath.[13] In May 2017, Jain participated in the adventure reality show The Real High on Arre based on a journey set in Arunachal Pradesh for 10 days.[14] Rannvijay guides the participants all the way to put them to test under harsh conditions, to bring out the challenger spirit within them.[15]

In November 2016, Jain rides across Rajasthan on a Triumph Tiger 800 cc motorcycle covering 1900 km over 6 days.[16] The ride aims to showcase the State of Rajasthan through the eyes of a female motorcycle traveler capturing the culture, traditions, food, people, historical places and landscapes over social media.[17] Some of the notable places Jain has ridden include Pushkar, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Longewala , Bikaner and Jaipur.[16][18][19]

In 14 August till 3 September 2016, Jain participated in the reality television show on MTV, Chase The Monsoon Season 4. As part of the team #ChaseHorror[20] Sonia Jain along with Michael Oliveria rode for 21 days covering 3000 km from Shimla, Himachal Pradesh to Ooty in Tamil Nadu.[21] They have motorcycled through haunted places and spent nights there to complete their tasks[22] through Shimla, Delhi, Bhangarh Fort, Jaipur, Bhilwara, Palanpur, Mehsana, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Goa, Mangalore and Ooty.

In May 2016, Jain worked on a video series project '0-100 Motorcycles' with xBHP in which she rode 100 different motorcycles which are unique iconic, historical and rare throughout the country.[23][24][25] The objective is to get the motorcycle enthusiasts up close with these machines on two-wheels covering the history of the bike, specifications, handling characteristics and mainly the story around the motorcycle.[6][26]

In May 2012, Jain was the only Indian female licensed instructor[27] in the Yamaha Riding Academy and as part of the ‘Yamaha Female Riding Training Program’ (YFRT),[28][29] she encouraged and trained female riders with basic riding skills, riding rules[30] and safety techniques. The program trains young girls to ride bikes and scooters and trains 80 girls per day and 10 training sessions in a month.[27] Apart from riding since 2009[31] her other interests include travelling, basketball, running and cycling.[3] Jain has also participated in the Mission Arctic challenge in NATGEO (2012).[32]

Personal life and career

Sonia Jain did her schooling from Apeejay School, Sheikh Sarai, B,.A.in English (Hons), Indraprastha College from Delhi University (2007) and Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from Amity University, Noida (2009).[3] Her first job was at Bloomberg UTV, before doing an internship at ESPN.[5] She worked with Yamaha India as a Marketing Motorsports Manager from 2012 till 2014. Jain later worked as a marketing professional with Radio Mirchi (2014)[33] and since 2015 Jain is pursuing her passion as a career by engaging with motorcycle related projects.[23]

Jain participates in various forums[34] creating awareness with respect to women empowerment in India. She says that women and men are at par with each other[35] and it needs to be spoken up with actions to change people mindsets towards women.[31][36][37] Jain has two elder sisters and a younger brother and lives in Delhi, India along with her parents.

References
  1. "Bikers Cafe: A road hangout". News Nation. 18 June 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  2. "Delhi riders gear up for biggest biking festival". The Times of India. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  3. Qashish, Chopra (30 May 2016). "A Power To Reckon With!! Sonia Jain- 'The Lady Biker'". Lime Road. Lime Road. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  4. "Have Bike, Will Ride: Young Women Bikers In India Blaze New Trail". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  5. "The Motorcycle Diaries - Hi! BLITZ". hiblitz.in. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  6. Upreti, Gunjan. "This Woman Is Travelling Around India And Smashing Through Gender Barriers On A Hundred Motorbikes". Tripoto. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  7. "Continued: Ten BADASS Lady Bikers Of India | Cartoq - Honest Car Advice". www.cartoq.com. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  8. "#GirlPower - Indians Ride to Goa - xBhp.com". 17 February 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  9. "Motorcycle diaries: NCR biker duo connects three nations on this journey - Times of India ►". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  10. "Biker duo from Delhi, Gurgaon connects three nations on this journey | News - Times of India Videos". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  11. "Meet the first Indian woman to ride 100 different motorcycles : Bikes, News - India Today". indiatoday.intoday.in. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  12. "Woman Sets Limca Record For Riding Most Number of Motorcycles in India - ZigWheels Forum". www.zigwheels.com. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  13. Travel, Motorcycle (10 June 2017), English: Riding Triumph Motorcycles from Delhi to Mana, retrieved 28 June 2017
  14. Arre (15 June 2017), Meet Sonia Jain | The Real High | Arre Outdoors, retrieved 28 June 2017
  15. Arré. "The Real High Archives - Arré". Arré. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  16. Paul, Jacinth (6 January 2017). "Woman Biker Rides Across Rajasthan on a Triumph Tiger". Moto Trance. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  17. "Incredible Rajasthan - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  18. Sonia Jain (13 December 2016), Tiger in Rajasthan, retrieved 6 January 2017
  19. "Sonia Jain Is The First Indian Woman To Ride 100 Different Motorbikes". SheThePeople TV. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  20. "Chase The Monsoon - #". www.mtvindia.com. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  21. MTV India (7 September 2016), #ChaseHorror- Day 20- Ooty- Chills, Thrills and More- CEAT MTV Chase The Monsoon 4, retrieved 8 September 2016
  22. "#ChaseHorror- Day 2- Shimla- Night At The Haunted Mansion- CEAT MTV Chase The Monsoon 4". YouTube. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  23. "Home - 'OLX and xBhp Present India in 0-100 Motorcycles'". 'OLX and xBhp Present India in 0-100 Motorcycles'. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  24. "India In 0-100 Motorcycles #42: R1200GS Adventure - BMW Motorrad's All Terrain Vehicle - xBhp.com". 1 July 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  25. xBhpvideos (6 April 2016), India in 0-100 Motorcycles : Starting 15th April!, retrieved 2 July 2016
  26. "100 bikes - 'OLX and xBhp Present India in 0-100 Motorcycles'". Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  27. "The power of two". www.newindianexpress.com. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  28. "Yamaha rolls out 'Yamaha Female Riding Training' program in Bhopal - Times of India". Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  29. "Yamaha launches riding training programme". Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  30. "People | Easy Riders". www.verveonline.com. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  31. "Make way…here 'we' come". The Navhind Times. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  32. National Geographic Channel India (6 June 2012), Mission Arctic: The Beginning, retrieved 12 July 2016
  33. "These women know how to handle their motorcycles : Bikes, News - India Today". indiatoday.intoday.in. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  34. Women of Today's India, Talking Change, retrieved 30 June 2016
  35. "The Biker World: Sonia Jain – Social Milk". socialmilk.in. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  36. NewsX (10 March 2012), Living Cars: Khurafati Nitin celebrates Women's day - NewsX, retrieved 30 June 2016
  37. "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
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