That’s right, hardly enough to count on both hands.
But here’s the thing, alternative and extreme sports are taking over the country and there are in fact a chunk of
badass women, who are not merely dabbling in them, but are trying to leave a solid mark and turning it into a
lifestyle. In a country as big and geographically diverse as India, there is scope for anything; skiing, paragliding,
kayaking, ice climbing, you name it and we have it! The only limitation there is, is that of society.
Gender stereotypes have long confined our imagination to an extent that girls underestimate their abilities before
even realising them. They are so deeply ingrained in us that we don’t understand the impact of telling a boy, ‘Go
on, give it a go’ even if they don’t want to but in the case of a girl softening it down to, ‘If you don’t want to, you
don’t have to’. Growing up in a society like that deprives women of the confidence that their male counterparts
seem to have in plenty. By the time a girl hits adulthood and frees her mind from these shackles, she is expected
to either work in ‘respectable’ established professions and/or ‘get married’. Mostly get married.
That’s why we decided to make a film on 15 brave women who have dared to go against everything that they are
‘supposed to do’ and change this very perception. This movie will feature athletes across 11 extreme sports (skiing,
surfing, rock climbing, mountain biking, skateboarding, ice climbing, high lining, kayaking, paragliding, long
boarding, trail running) with special focus on the athletes and their personal stories of coming forward in their fields.
Our sole purpose is to reflect a realistic view of female athletes in unconventional sports with focus on varying
skills, grit strength and different body types required to follow their passion. These women hold a special place in
society and need to be celebrated for they are pushing their limits in sports that are unheard of, even if that means
competing with the boys because the female category ceases to exist due to lack of women participants. Ultimately,
our vision is to create the space for more women to step up and create their own identities.
ABOUT THE ATHLETES
Basica salam
Originally from Manipur but based in Navi Mumbai, Basica is an ambassador for Longboard
Crew India and Longboard Girls Crew, the biggest community in the world in action sports
industry. She intends to place India on the longboarding map of the world and encouraging
girls to shred.
Antima Bisht
Antima is a Longboarder from Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra. She started with Ramp
Skateboarding but found herself driven to its sister sport Longboarding. She and Basica are
two of the extremely small population of girls who longboard.
Anam Sultana
Anam’s initiation into skateboarding transitioned from skating and rollerblading wherever
there was space. This was until Hyderabad got its own Skate Park which is where she can be
found shredding.
Zhen Paintal
Zhen is a versatile adventure junkie. When she is not skateboarding, then she is either
slacklining or adventuring in the outdoors.
Aneesha Nayak
Aneesha was introduced to surfing in 2013. Being a swimmer from the age of 3, moving with
the water came naturally to her and she came to immerse herself in the sport completely
ever since. She is the youngest female surfer in the country at 16 years.
Rinchen Doma Bhutia
A profession paraglider, Rinchen has represented India at the Pre Paragliding World Cup in
Bir Billing, being the only woman from the country to do so. Her goal is to have crossed all
the limits of fear, and achieve the impossible. She is among the two commercial lady pilot in
the country.
Anissa Lamare
India’s foremost female downhill mountain biker, Anissa is a lone rider from Shillong. As
part of the Shillong Cycling Club she has been working to promote cycling as a sport. She has
participated in 6 downhill races, all in the men’s category.
Kopal Goyal
An adventure filmmaker and a sport climber, Kopal’s journey started in 2015 when she
visited IMF 22nd National Sports Climbing Competition and fell in love with the challenges of
this sport. She is currently training to represent North India at the National Sport Climbing
Championship 2018.
Prerna Dangi
Prerna is the first woman to explore water ice in India in the winter of 2015. She has
represented India at climbing World Cups, international meets and training programmes.
She also has an unguided ascent of Denali, North America's highest mountain under her belt
at the age of 21.
Tanmayi Gidh
Tanmayi found slacklining 2 years ago and she is a self-proclaimed addict of the sport. She
enjoys the sport for its emphasis on balance and focus rather than strength and likes the
fact that it is a gender-neutral sport.
Monica Becerril
Monica’s love for the outdoors and adventure goes back to her childhood. However, her
passion for trail running started in 2015 after running at CTC’s Javadhu Hills 25K. And in the
past two years, trail running has transformed itself from running events to a way of life.
Ramanjot Kaur
Ramanjot found the inspiration to run from her dad. She has medals from state, national
and international level marathons and has now taken the step further into ultra-running.
Ishani Singh Jamwal
Skiing since 6th grade, Ishani has represented India twice at Skiing World Championships, her
first one being in Italy, in the years 2012 and 2013.
Sunita Chauhan
The first female kayaker of the country, Sunita learnt the ropes in this male dominated
industry from her husband and brother, both river guides themselves. She had a podium
finish at the Ganga Kayak Festival in 2014 and currently works in Rishikesh.