Sonali Kulkarni must have only been around 10 years old when she first began riding a bicycle. Being on two wheels – a cycle or a bike – was almost part of the culture where she grew up: Pune, once called the ‘city of cycles’. Four decades on, not only do riding a bicycle and bike continue to make her feel powerful, but also benefit her physical fitness and mental well-being.

Sonali Kulkarni believes in cycling for fitness

In an interview to HT Health Shots, Sonali Kulkarni shares, “Cycling is so much fun! When I exercise, I like movement. I am not a person who can exercise in one place. So, the motion of cycling itself is exciting for me. Plus, you get to be out in nature. You don’t need an AC. You don’t need any particular decorum for that exercise. You enjoy the ride, you get to be out in the sun, and soak up vitamin D naturally!”

Early in her life, she realised how riding a cycle instead of using forms of public transport empowered her to manage time on her own terms.

“At one point in my life, I was wasting a lot of time and energy waiting for a bus. I wanted to save time because I was a very active teenager. I had classical dance classes, a place where I was teaching, I had college, I was into sports, I was into theatre… So, in trying to achieve all this by bus, public transport service was very difficult for me. So, what was liberating for me was my cycle or my bike because my time was in my hands. I could reach everywhere on time. I could think on the way, without worrying about ticket changes. I could direct my way and my time,” she says.

She also has fond memories of rides with her friends, elders, aunts, mother and her husband Nachiket Pantvaidya. “Before we were married, we were dating and it was such a nice time that we were together. We would not necessarily be talking all the time, but we would feel the wind. It was so liberating.”

Also read: Want to burn calories for weight loss? Try cycling every day

Sonali Kulkarni started cycling during childhood

Sonali Kulkarni’s eyes reflect a spark as she talks about her love for biking. It is clear that she has countless childhood memories and milestones associated with being on a two-wheeler.

“The staple Pune lifestyle includes knowing how to ride a two-wheeler. It’s as common as eating poli bhaji and varan bhat (a Maharashtrian meal). I started going to school on a cycle when I was in fifth grade. I cycled to school till my 10th grade. I went to college on a cycle till my first year, and then borrowed my brother’s bike,” she recounts.

It was a Bajaj Kawasaki 4S. Sonali says she felt “very powerful” riding it. “Many heads turned… I realised how much power and glamour it had.” She recollects receiving letters from boys, praising her for her stance on the bike and her parking skills.

Sonali says since she belonged to a middle-class family and she wasn’t pampered with pocket money, she had to wait to buy a bike till she started earning. Her first personal two-wheeler was a Kinetic Honda.

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Both cycles and bikes remained very close to her heart even when she shifted to Mumbai to pursue her acting career. She bought her “dream” cycle when she came to the ‘city of dreams’ – Mumbai. It was complete with a cute carrier and basket. She would use the cycle to go and buy groceries or to the gym.

Sonali talks about safety during biking

Crooked roads and traffic have not deterred Sonali Kulkarni from riding a bike or cycle at the age of 50.

“I am not one of those who demand a different cycle track on the roads because I know what burden cities are carrying today. For the management and for the government, it is very difficult to create such exclusive paths for runners, cyclists and bikers. We have to find our safe zone and ride there,” says the actress, who has even led various bike rallies.

Also read: Meet Mehdia Fathima, a biker mom who loves the smell of grease more than a tadka!

Did you ever face any sort of bias for the fact that you could ride a bike?

“Riding a bike was unique in Pune because girls were riding very feminine scooties, Lunas and Kinetic Hondas. But I was the one who was riding a motorcycle. I didn’t see any bias when I was biking. In fact, there was always a sense of admiration in people’s eyes,” she says.

However, she faced bias when she started driving a car!

“It is underlined that women can’t drive well. It’s a cliche, and I like to break that because I’m a very decent four-wheeler driver. I have driven cars in other countries, and somewhere I feel for the girls who are made to hear that ‘I know women can’t drive properly’. Everyone is busy doing things, have families, have things on their mind, things in their hands and at times, one’s judgement misses when you’re parking or when you are shifting the gear. So, it pinches me when I hear that comment.”