Aparna Umesh is navigating an impossibly slushy track in her modified off-road rig, maneuvering through a bumpy dirt track with the ease of an expert. All of a sudden, the track dips into a muddy trough and the small group of onlookers hold their breath. Can she make it up the sharp incline? Sure enough, she does.
Aparna is an off-roader from Kochi, who has been driving through mud and mountain for the past five years. She is among the growing tribe of women in motorsports in Kerala.
Considered physically and mentally demanding, few women venture into motorsports, but the ones who do say they are in it for the sheer thrill of adventure, a sense of freedom, self-discovery and a way to overcome trauma.
When driving is still largely gendered and women are constantly judged for their skill and the type of vehicles they drive, these women have been negotiating every obstacle, both literal and metaphorical, to follow their passion. Many of them often compete against men.
Aparna Umesh
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Calm in the midst of chaos
For Aparna, off-roading taught her to find calm in the midst of chaos. “Even when the obstacle looks insurmountable; I know I have to find a way to negotiate it without hurting myself or the vehicle. So I focus, keep my cool and push on,” she says. Aparna, a marketing professional, knew from the very first time she test drove a modified off-road rig that it was her calling. “I was introduced to off-roading at a club in Kottayam, where I drove a Mahindra CJ series Jeep, which they fondly call Blue Whale. As I drove it, I had butterflies in my stomach. I knew this was my thing.”
It all began when her father surprised her with a 4×4. “I had to learn how to fully utilise the vehicle and that led me to off-roading,” she says. Aparna joined the R&T Off Road Club in Kottayam in 2019, the only woman member then. She went on various trails and took part in competitions, slowly gathering experience on various terrains.
She was the first Indian woman to participate in the Orange Fest organised by JKTyres in 2022. Today, she co-owns the Blue Whale in addition to her own vehicles and is the co-founder of R&T 4×4 Training Academy. Currently preparing for the India leg of the Rain Forest Challenge, one of the most difficult off-road motor races, to be held in Goa in August, Aparna says every competition, every trail is a learning experience.
Athira Murali
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Rallying on
For one of Kerala’s first woman rally drivers Athira Murali, driving is at the very core of her being. A national award winning rally driver, Autocross car racer, off-roader and automotive content creator from Kottayam, she says the track has always been her safe space, something that gives her a sense of self. “Nothing compares to the freedom and the adrenalin rush I get while driving,” she says. A mechanical engineer by qualification, she realised early on that her heart was in automobiles. Athira started riding two wheelers while in Class VII and drove heavy vehicles even as a Class X student.
She has been in the competition circuit for the past 11 years, and is a part of rallies including the Indian National Rally Championship. “It is an expensive interest to pursue. Everything including the gear come at a price. One needs to be fully invested in it to be able to sustain it,” she adds. Though she owns a 4×4, the rally cars are sponsored. Athira holds the record for being Kerala’s first youngest motorsports woman driver (2014-15). She owns a tours and travels start up, too.
As the woman chairperson of the Keraleeyam Motorsports Association, an organisation which has been holding motorsports events throughout the country, Athira hopes more women would enter the foray. “Today, I can safely say I have created my space and I am owning it too,” she adds.
Veena Murali
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Crazy about four-wheelers
Veena Murali, who hails from Thodupuzha and is settled in Chennai, was drawn to four-wheelers as early as age 10. Her father owned an Ambassador, on which she learnt steering control. “As soon as I was tall enough to reach the foot pedals, I learnt how to reverse the vehicle. I would help people park their cars, I was crazy about four-wheelers,” laughs Veena. It helped that her uncle, who was working in Mahindra, brought home posters and scale models of the vehicles, which she treasures to this day. “I even had models of vehicles before they were released.”
Though a skilled driver, Veena took to off-roading competitions only two years ago. The founder of a home decor brand, she decided that she would get into the competition circuit only after building her own vehicle. Though she owned a 4×4, it was preserved for everyday drives and a few fun off-roading excursions. She bought a Mahindra CJ 500, and built it for the competition. “My first competition was at Vagamon, and after that I did the Palar Challenge, considered one of India’s toughest off-road events, organised by Terra Tigers, one of India’s oldest off-roading clubs in India,” she says. Veena secured second place in the individual category. “To me, it is a test of my own abilities. Navigating an obstacle and completing the challenge brings inexplicable joy,” says Veena.
Riya Bino
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‘Off-roading is a part of my life’
Riya Bino, an off-roader from Pala, was drawn to the sport watching her father and uncle, both seasoned off-roaders. “It was only natural that I gravitated to it,” she says. Born and brought up in a verdant plantation setting, Riya used to drive her father’s Major Jeep ever since she was in Class VIII. A kindergarten teacher, the gentle-spoken Riya says she knows no fear tackling some of the most complicated trails. She pushes the rig to its limits, and conquers the terrain. “The backyard of my house was akin to an off-roading track. Off-roading has been a part of my life. It comes easily to me.” She has been competing and is known as one of the emerging talents in the off-roading community. “For me, it is the energy that one gets when doing something one loves.”
Shilpa Surendran
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Beating trauma
When Shilpa Surendran reached a “breaking point” in life, she sought refuge behind the wheel. The electronics engineer from Thiruvananthapuram, who started a coaching centre to teach Math, found driving therapeutic during rough patches. As someone who loved riding motorcycles and driving, she found herself spending time at a friend’s workshop. Her interest gradually deepened and Shilpa eventually joined the Thiruvananthapuram Off-Roaders Club. She began taking part in competitions and built her Land Cruiser 80 series.
Shilpa says support from friends has helped her puruse her interest in auto sports. “It is mentally and physically challenging, but the reward is in overcoming it,” she says. An active presence in the Autocross circuit (a sport where drivers have to navigate a temporary course marked by cones, in the fastest time), Shilpa also performs stunts. “It makes me feel good about myself; it has made me confident. That is the thing with motorsports. It sort of makes you feel invincible,” adds Shilpa.
Social media has helped create awareness and interest in motor sports and more women are now exploring it. Though it requires training and practice, combined with a passion and the means to afford it, motor sports, as the women in it are proving every day, is a matter of grit over brawn.
Published – July 18, 2025 10:00 pm IST