Zeenath Shihab learned to cycle when she turned 44. A mother of two 20-year-olds, she overcame family reservations and enrolled in Cochin Corporation’s ‘Cycle With Kochi’ programme. “I feel thrilled at realising my childhood dreams. Today my family is proud of me and my parents are pleased,” says Zeenath. She is from the first batch of 160 women who are being trained to bicycle under the project that strives to empower economically weaker women and high school girls in Kochi.
Aimed at moulding a generation of cyclists that will change the environment and eco system of the city in the coming years, the programme is already changing lives.
Like Zeenath, another middle-aged woman, who prefers to not disclose her identity, had to face ridicule from the men of her family who betted against her ability to learn the skill. They vowed to tonsure their heads if she was successful. Beating the odds, she is now a confident cyclist.
