KARACHI: Mariam Mohammad Ali, 49, had a penchant for bike-riding since the age of 5 and she decided not to give up on her passion while growing up in the Pakistani city of Karachi. Despite being frowned upon by relatives and neighbors, Ali got her bike license in the early 90s and has since been kicking the taboo around women bikers, riding her late father's Italian-made Vespa scooter for nearly three decades.
Born in 1974 to a Bohra father, Mohammad Ali, and a Roman Catholic mother, Victoria, Ali learnt about Vespa from her father, who was a mechanic and ran a shop in Karachi's Saddar business district.
Her passion for the Italian bike grew after one of her father's apprentices was asked to pick and drop her from school, according to the 49-year-old. During this time, she would often try to grab the bike’s accelerator.
She first got her hands on one of her male friends' bikes when she turned 11. After one of their acquaintances saw her riding the bike, they informed Ali's father who asked her if she wanted a car or a bike.
Ali chose her passion over a four-wheeler.
Today, the 49-year-old, who is a teacher by profession, commutes to work and runs all her errands on the 1960 Vespa brought to her by her late father.
"On my Vespa, I feel very satisfied. I bring my entire month’s grocery. And [with] my mother sitting at the back, we enjoy as we come and go," she told Arab News last week.
"I can’t give my freedom away."
But Ali, who teaches physical education at St. Joseph Convent School and St. Paul English High School in Karachi, says riding a Vespa bike can be very challenging as everyone cannot balance its weight.
"The weight is very much why because the engine is on one side and it's a very heavy bike. When you hold it also, you need a little power. And it's quite heavy. It's just like a mini rickshaw," she explained.
Ali also inherited 1964 and 1965 Vespa models from her father, which she sold to the Italian consulate in Karachi. She said they wanted her 1960 bike too, but she declined as it was the only memory left of her father, who passed away in 2006.
Ali's mother says their acquaintances used to complain to her husband about their daughter riding a bike.
"My husband was a very broadminded guy. He said 'whatever she wants to do, let her do'," Victoria fondly recalled of her late husband.
Victoria says she wanted to have a son when Ali was born, but believes her daughter was "chosen" to be the man of the house as she dresses like a man.
Ali takes care of household responsibilities, according to her mother. She likes to cook and clean and spend time with her brother’s children.
Ali says she did try her luck getting married, however, the ones she considered either had an issue with her bike or their interests didn’t align with hers.
“I was like, they are taking all my freedom away,” she said.
