Women should have courage to follow their heart, believes Amritsar-based biker and poetess Pratibha Panghal

A woman of many talents and never ending passion for life, Pratibha Panghal, 64, has lived life in the fast lane. A retired teacher, but a very active ‘liver’ (remember the famous Orry term), Pratibha has a long list of interests and pursuits that make her stand out — she is a traveller, an adventure biker and a poetess.

“There are so many things I would love to do now as well,” she says. Like what? “Well, currently I am writing poetry in three languages, Hindi, English and Punjabi. And I would love to plan another off-road trip soon,” she beams.

Panghal was among the first women from Punjab to have completed motorbike expedition to Bhutan, riding pillion with her husband, from Amritsar, covering 5,500 km across five different states of India. “I was 54 at the time and before that I had been travelling, off-roading with my husband. It was a gruelling travel schedule, sometime our journey would last 15 hours a day,” she shared. She has covered Amritsar to Kinnaur, Spiti valley, drove through Kaza, Keylong, Nako and Kunzum pass. Pratibha, who retired as an English teacher from DAV Public School, Amritsar, shared, “My parents, mother Ranjit Malhotra, was a school principal and taught English poetry while father’s conversation was always embellished with Urdu couplets. Being an only child of unorthodox parents, I was raised to be brave to do my own thing. I think women should have the courage to follow their heart.”