Stories Of Ordinary People Who Went On To Become Extraordinary Achievers

UNSTOPPABLE - How Youth Icons Achieve Extraordinary Things by Manthan Shah showcases stories of ordinary people who went on to become extraordinary achievers. Extracted from the chapter Grit and Perseverance

Anam Hashim is the face of stunt riding in India. She was the first woman ever to ride to Khardung La Pass, the world’s highest motorable road, on a 100cc Scooty during a ride called Himalayan Highs, a feat that won her a place in the India Book of Records. In 2017, Anam became the first Indian to win a freestyle stunt competition on an international stage. She has been the brand ambassador for GoPro and Red Bull and has won multiple laurels for India in international motorcycling events.

At twenty-five, she has become one of the most recognizable people in this industry with a feature film to be released on her life story soon.

When I met Anam at her house in the suburbs of Pune, she came across as warm and timid. She has a slender frame. She speaks crisply, with a sense of urgency. Her responses have an innocence and simplicity. You cannot guess she is a legendary motorbike rider.

Anam was born in 1995. Her upbringing was very modest.

Image Credit: indiatimes.com

‘We grew up in a very small house—just one small room and kitchen. I remember it was my paternal grandmother’s house and she used to charge us rent.’

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‘Initially, my father was a taxi driver. My mom was a teacher, and I had no interest in studying.’

Anam’s father encouraged her to ride bikes when she was just five years old; he would seat her in front of him on the bike and give her the control of the handlebar. He taught her to ride a bike on her own when she was around eleven years old. When she was twelve, she would steal her mother’s scooter, go for rides and practice stunting. Her dad taught her to ride a geared bike when he realized her talent for control and balance.

Although everything was going well, when she was thirteen her world came crashing down. Her parents got a divorce. Her mother remarried, and her second husband turned out to be abusive.

After her tenth standard exams, Anam got a bike from her father after a lot of pleading. That’s when her life changed.

She started going to school on her bike in the eleventh standard. She met a few guys who did stunts on their bikes and she was fascinated. She says, ‘I really wanted to learn how to do that. I started a Facebook page and uploaded my stunt videos.’

However, the ordeal at home persisted. Not only was her stepfather abusive, he was dismissive of her stunt riding.

‘My second father used to fight with my mom all the time. If there was anything I did wrong, he would beat her up. This one time I got so angry with him for doing that, I took a knife and put it across his throat.’

As things got worse, Anam left home to pursue stunt riding. After completing her twelfth standard she ran away from Lucknow and went to Pune to live with her masi (maternal aunt). This gave her the independence she needed. She lied to her parents, saying she was preparing for the CETs, the common entrance test for an engineering course. However, she was stunt riding and practising all the time.

‘At the age of eighteen, after my twelfth standard, I had no idea what to do. Growing up with all the drama, we never had a conversation about what I should do in life. I moved to Pune with my masi. I saved money to buy a bike. I borrowed Rs 10,000 from my real father and bought a second-hand bike.’

Eventually, she didn’t make it into an engineering college. She joined an all-Muslim girls’ college in Pune to pursue a bachelor’s degree in commerce.

Her aunt was handicapped, and as her health worsened, she had to leave Pune.

Somehow, by doing multiple odd jobs, Anam managed to make a living in Pune. Briefly for a year, she had a company that manufactured parts for stunt motorcycles, which did well. But she moved on to focus solely on her goal to represent India on the world stage and become the best rider she could be.

In May 2017, in Jakarta, she became the only Indian to win a medal at an international competition by bagging third place at the Gymkhana Stuntride Competition Series 1.She stayed in Indonesia for two months, and the experience was life-changing for her. She had always known she wanted to be an accomplished stunt rider, but she was pleasantly surprised by the short time it finally took her to achieve her goal of winning an international medal.

Extracted with the permission of the author and the publisher.

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