Meet Assam’s Meenakshi Das, the Woman Who Rode Across 64 Countries Solo in Just One Year

Her first riding experiences were spent riding pillion with her husband, Bedanta, across Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.

Meenakshi Das set out on a remarkable journey that etched her name in the annals of history. Her mission was simple: to become the first female solo rider to traverse more than 50 countries in a single year. By the time she returned to her home in Assam on December 22, she had surpassed that goal, having visited 64 countries, and emerged a changed person.

The Beginning of a Dream

Meenakshi’s journey into the world of solo riding began at the age of 16. Growing up in Assam, she found freedom on two wheels with her Kinetic Honda. At that age, she had a dream: to explore the untouched beauty of Northeast India.

Her first riding experiences were spent riding pillion with her husband, Bedanta, across Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. As she travelled these rugged roads, she often wondered what it would feel like to navigate these paths on her own. This spark ignited a promise to herself: one day, she would ride solo.

After working as a fitness instructor and saving diligently for years, Meenakshi bought her first bike, a Yamaha R15 V3, in 2019. Just a few months after purchasing it, she became the second woman in the world to ride through Umling La Pass, the highest motorable road in the world, in Ladakh. This milestone was only the beginning for Meenakshi, who had bigger dreams ahead.

The Push for a World Record

In 2022, Meenakshi set her sights on Nepal for her first solo international ride. This was just one of the many achievements in a series of adventures that fuelled her desire to break records and challenge societal expectations. While traveling, she often encountered prejudice, particularly the belief that women couldn’t travel alone without male companions. This fuelled her determination not only to seek new adventures but also to achieve something no woman had done before. “Initially, I decided to ride to London, only to find that many people had done it before,” she recalls. “I then decided to aim for the world record: traveling to the most countries in a year as a solo rider.”

The world record she sought to break stood at 50 countries. Meenakshi aimed higher: 67 countries. To achieve this, she calculated the trip’s cost at Rs 54 lakh. Despite seeking sponsorship from the central and state governments, as well as the ministries of tourism and sports, the funds she needed didn’t materialize. “Everyone made encouraging promises, but no one gave me a penny,” she sighs. Undeterred, Meenakshi mortgaged her agricultural land to fund the trip. She also turned to crowdfunding, reaching out to her gym clients, where a random benefactor sent her Rs 10 lakh. With Rs 20 lakh secured, Meenakshi was ready to embark on her world-record ride in December 2023.

A Challenging Start: The Middle East and Beyond

Her journey began in Nepal without major setbacks. However, things took an unexpected turn when she encountered tensions between Yemen and Oman, forcing her to alter her route. To make matters worse, the NGO that had promised to sponsor her ferry backed out, leaving her with limited options. “I had to decide right then if I should take an alternate route or return home. I knew that giving up wasn’t an option,” she recalls. Determined to continue, Meenakshi opted to fly herself and her bike to Qatar, an unexpected expense that set her back by Rs 2.8 lakh.

From Qatar, she ventured through Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, where she faced the deadliest sandstorm of her life. Yet, she pushed on and entered Jordan. Her initial plan was to stay only three days before heading into Iraq, but a bomb blast in Iraq forced her to take a detour through Israel. While in Jordan, she experienced an act of kindness that would stay with her forever. A Malayali woman named Priyanka, whom she had never met, hosted her and treated her like family. Before Meenakshi left, Priyanka handed her around Rs 43,552 in an envelope. “I felt like this was help sent directly by god,” Meenakshi reflects.

Meenakshi’s journey through Europe was equally arduous. For months, she subsisted on one meal a day to save money, skipping lunch and relying on dinner with hosts to sustain her. As a fitness instructor accustomed to a protein-heavy diet, the strain on her body was immense. Riding through relentless rain while sick, with no time to stop for recovery, she struggled but never once thought about quitting. “This wasn’t just my journey, but every single woman who had been ridiculed,” she says, her resolve unwavering.

Navigating Visa Challenges and the Race Against Time

Visa issues followed Meenakshi across borders, adding another layer of complexity to her journey. While in Macedonia, her Schengen visa expired, and she had to race against time to reach Athens, covering 850km in just seven hours. Despite her best efforts, when she arrived at the embassy, she was denied an extension. But Meenakshi never let the obstacles stop her. She made an impromptu route change and decided to bike through Southern Europe, reaching the UK—where she had a valid visa—by the last day of her Schengen visa, covering eight countries in 10 days.

However, as she approached the UK, personal struggles weighed heavily on her. “My father passed away five years ago, but I started seeing him everywhere,” Meenakshi shares. She also carried the guilt of being away from her daughter during an important year for her and the pain of not being able to care for her ageing mother. “Only my helmet knows my story,” she says, speaking of the silent conversations she had with herself while riding.

Despite all the challenges, Meenakshi’s journey was also one of receiving kindness from unexpected places. In the UK, a rider from Kerala hosted her in Liverpool and handed her GBP 400 as a token of love from the Malayali riders there. In Norway, her host gifted her the boots of his late wife, wishing her to ride in spirit alongside her. Additionally, in China, five Indian women pooled together Rs 3,48,416 to help her cover the final stretch of the trip.

“Everywhere I went, I’d send messages on rider community groups on Facebook, and people would offer to host me. They taught me so much about not just riding, but life,” Meenakshi says with gratitude.

When Meenakshi finally returned home, it was a bittersweet moment. While she was thrilled to reunite with her family, she also felt a sense of guilt for having been away for so long. Despite breaking the world record, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had missed out on three of the countries she had originally planned to visit: Oman, Iraq, and Myanmar. “I can’t help it. I’m addicted to riding,” she admits with a smile.

For Meenakshi, the journey is far from over. She is already planning her next adventures, including trips to Russia and the US, this time with Bedanta by her side. “My dream is to ride out to wherever there is land,” she says, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Meenakshi Das’s incredible journey—spanning continents, overcoming personal and logistical challenges, and breaking a world record—demonstrates not just the power of perseverance, but also the unbreakable spirit of a woman determined to redefine the boundaries of possibility. Her story is a testament to the power of dreams, determination, and the unyielding will to ride towards a better, bolder future.

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