KOCHI: Soniya Gracious is known by the moniker Thalaivi. Some call her 'Bullet Ashan'. For the 150 and more women riding the Royal Enfield bullet in Kerala, Soniya is their numero uno. The ladies already run an active group named 'Bike and Bullet lady riders'.

Soniya built a liking for RE Bullet straight from the tender age of 14. Whenever she walked down the streets, the roaring sound of the bike hitting the tarmac amazed her. Soniya's father Gracious, a jewelry owner, had a very affable heart and waited no time to get his daughter's wish done. When the license came to her doorstep at the age of 18, Soniya has already mastered the knack for riding the giant bike. And now, 21 years with her dream vehicle, there are lesser roads in Kochi that remain unknown to Soniya and her bullet.

Soniya gets goosebumps not just riding RE Bullet but also when seeing women riding bullet bikes. She took to Facebook and thus shared her plan to start a group for women bullet riders which was received with open hands by lady riders across the state. The group now houses 54-year-old Devika to 20-year-old Diana. Most of the ladies in the group learned to ride bullets from Soniya. A small fee of Rs 2000 is taken.

The group routinely goes riding to Idukki, Bangalore, and Himachal. Not just Bikes, over the years, Soniya acquired the license to drive trucks, road rollers, forklifts to excavators.