A quick glance at Roshni Misbah’s Instagram account and she seems like every other young woman today, posing in the occasional high-heeled boots, with her own unique style and a definite flair for fashion, and a loyal following of over 130,000 people. Okay, maybe that last one isn’t all that typical and once you scroll through her profile, you quickly see that Misbah isn’t very ordinary at all!
Misbah’s love for motorbikes is more than evident on her page and most of her posts will attest to that. Dubbed the Hijabi Biker of Delhi, the 23-year-old rider from India has been spotted around her city riding her Honda CBR 250 cc, to the surprise of many in Delhi and quickly becoming an inspiration to young hijabis across the world.
Her IG profile describes her as Punjabi-Muslim, an Arab and Islamic Studies scholar (at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi), a businesswoman, and the only “girl in Indian to own the fastest bike.” According to Hindustan Times, Misbah started riding bikes in her school years, in the ninth standard. After practicing on her friend’s and her father’s motorcycle for years, she got her very first bike, a Bajaj Avenger Cruiser 220, which she paid half for and her father the rest.
Speaking to the news site, Misbah said, “Unlike many girls, I wanted to ride a bike rather than a scooty (gearless). I always had a passion for bikes and I am fulfilling it.” The young rider is today part of several biking groups in her city, including Bikerni, which is an all-female bikers’ group based in Delhi. Her celebrity status is not restricted to social media as the young rider often has fans around the city who recognize her and wave at her. In university, she also receives praise from other female students, who often ask if she could teach them to ride a motorbike.
To date, Misbah has driven over 24,000 kilometers across India and more than 60 bikes, according to SportsWallah.com. When she’s not riding the streets of Delhi and beyond, Misbah is working on plans to continue a PhD in Arab culture, helping her father in the family business, and planning her next motorbike purchase, her sights set on a Triumph Rocket 2300 cc.
